S9 - Mission 7: Ra's Sacrifice

[Kirok]

With the newly signed agreement (though still probationary) between the Federation and the newly reformed Romulan government, the Discover had been ordered to remain in the area until the Federation was able to send an Ambassador.  As such, they opted for a mission to explore the planets in what up until a month ago had been the called Neutral Zone.  This, of course, had been agreed upon by the Federation, the Romulans, and the Klingons.

Kirok sat in the center seat of the Bridge.  After looking down at his console for a few moments, he looked back up to the main view screen.  "Status update, all departments" he called out.

"We have finished the surveys on two planets now.  The results have been cataloged and send into Star Fleet.  Planet number three is next, I will need volunteers for the Away Team" Hayo said from her station. 

[Ser Conley]

With the newly signed agreement between the Federation and the newly reformed Romulan government, the Discover had been ordered to remain in the area until the Federation was able to send an Ambassador.  As such, they opted for a mission to explore the planets in what up until a month ago had been the called Neutral Zone.  This, of course, had been agreed upon by the Federation, the Romulans, and the Klingons.

Kirok sat in the center seat of the Bridge.  After looking down at his console for a few moments, he looked back up to the main view screen.  "Status update, all departments" he called out.

"We have finished the surveys on two planets now.  The results have been cataloged and send into Star Fleet.  Planet number three is next, I will need volunteers for the Away Team" Hayo said from her station.

"You can count on me miss."  Ser said from the helm.

"We are on route to the next planet at half impulse.  We should arrive in about half an hour captain.",  the planet a head was a M class.  The last two plant  were little more than chunks of Melton rock.  Ser loved the idea of exploring a world no in the federation had explored before.

[Zarlak Gwindo]

"Status update, all departments"

"Tactical systems operating within normal parameters captain."

"You can count on me miss."  Ser said from the helm.

Zarlak's time on the Discovery so far had proved an exception to usual rule of exclusion and obscurity, he was starting to feel like his opinion actually mattered amongst the bridge staff. The fire to prove himself to his race and Starfleet as a whole had never been diminished and he felt this opportunity was too good to pass up. Just because his previous commanders had always left him behind on away missions, didn't mean these ones will.

"I would also like to volunteer my services lieutenant Hayo."

Exploration wasn't his strong point, but protocol dictated that an away team should always take security precautions. Zarlak would be that precaution and the chance to visit a new world was one any space farer would be mad to pass up.

[Gabriel Arthur]

[Discovery - Main Engineering]

Lieutenant (jg) Gabriel Arthur looked up from the console he was currently looming over as Lieutenant Glizza came into Main Engineering.  "Ah, ma'am.  Good morning," he said, his customary grin in place, as he nodded toward the work station.  "We're just finishing up on running the final tests on the induction modulators."  He rubbed his lower back, standing up straight.  "A new set of coil brackets all around.  I think we're ready for just about anything."

He knew that their mission now involved poking around in the former territory known as the Neutral Zone, that dividing line between eggshell-fragile peace and interstellar warfare for centuries.  Now it was open, laid bare by peace overtures and the unfortunate fate of the late Empire.  His eye involuntarily twitched at that thought - with everything that had happened with the Romulan Praetor and his machinations in the past months, he would rather be in any other part of space.  But here they were.  Fortunately, the Discovery was in great shape.  Thinking of the Praetor also brought Chief T'Koris to mind, his absent Chief Engineer.  Poor little Seika had come down with a cold, so Gabriel had been doing a little extra work in Engineering to give Archangel time to take care of her.  He hoped the girl had liked the chicken soup Gabe had sent earlier.

[Kirok]

"You can count on me miss."  Ser said from the helm.

"We are on route to the next planet at half impulse.  We should arrive in about half an hour captain.",  the planet a head was a M class.  The last two plant  were little more than chunks of Melton rock.  Ser loved the idea of exploring a world no in the federation had explored before.

[Bridge]

"Very well, Mr. Conley" Kirok said.  "If Mr. Tre'el wishes to remain aboard, perhaps you can take lead on the Away Team.  With Ms. Hayo in charge of the the Scientific aspects of course" he added.

"Tactical systems operating within normal parameters captain."

Zarlak's time on the Discovery so far had proved an exception to usual rule of exclusion and obscurity, he was starting to feel like his opinion actually mattered amongst the bridge staff. The fire to prove himself to his race and Starfleet as a whole had never been diminished and he felt this opportunity was too good to pass up. Just because his previous commanders had always left him behind on away missions, didn't mean these ones will.

"I would also like to volunteer my services lieutenant Hayo."

Exploration wasn't his strong point, but protocol dictated that an away team should always take security precautions. Zarlak would be that precaution and the chance to visit a new world was one any space farer would be mad to pass up.

[Bridge]

"I would like to go as well" Jhamel said.  "There may not be much in the way of counseling that I can do, but I could go as the medical detail and help out with plant collection.  Beside, given that this is a M class planet it makes me think we may find some interesting animal life down there" she added.

[Discovery - Main Engineering]

Lieutenant (jg) Gabriel Arthur looked up from the console he was currently looming over as Lieutenant Glizza came into Main Engineering.  "Ah, ma'am.  Good morning," he said, his customary grin in place, as he nodded toward the work station.  "We're just finishing up on running the final tests on the induction modulators."  He rubbed his lower back, standing up straight.  "A new set of coil brackets all around.  I think we're ready for just about anything."

He knew that their mission now involved poking around in the former territory known as the Neutral Zone, that dividing line between eggshell-fragile peace and interstellar warfare for centuries.  Now it was open, laid bare by peace overtures and the unfortunate fate of the late Empire.  His eye involuntarily twitched at that thought - with everything that had happened with the Romulan Praetor and his machinations in the past months, he would rather be in any other part of space.  But here they were.  Fortunately, the Discovery was in great shape.  Thinking of the Praetor also brought Chief T'Koris to mind, his absent Chief Engineer.  Poor little Seika had come down with a cold, so Gabriel had been doing a little extra work in Engineering to give Archangel time to take care of her.  He hoped the girl had liked the chicken soup Gabe had sent earlier.

[Engineering]

"Good morning, Mr. Arthur" Glizza replied in a sing song tone.  With all the crazyness of last month behind them, things seemed so much brighter.  "Bite your tongue young man" she added in a good humored manner.

[Gabriel Arthur]

"Good morning, Mr. Arthur" Glizza replied in a sing song tone.  With all the crazyness of last month behind them, things seemed so much brighter.  "Bite your tongue young man" she added in a good humored manner.

[Engineering]

Gabe chuckled lightly, spreading his hands in mock-apology.  "Aye, ma'am," he said, gently rapping his knuckles on his forehead.  "There's no real wood anywhere in here, so this'll have to do for something to knock on."  A second later, he added for the Tellarite's sake, "old Terran expression."  Once the computer finished up it's interfacing, he loaded the data onto his padd, and handed it to Glizza.  "There you go, report filed.  Systems are running silent and normal.  I haven't heard from Chief T'Koris yet this morning, but last I talked to her, she was helping Miss Seika debug from the common cold."

[Kirok]

[Engineering]

Gabe chuckled lightly, spreading his hands in mock-apology.  "Aye, ma'am," he said, gently rapping his knuckles on his forehead.  "There's no real wood anywhere in here, so this'll have to do for something to knock on."  A second later, he added for the Tellarite's sake, "old Terran expression."  Once the computer finished up it's interfacing, he loaded the data onto his padd, and handed it to Glizza.  "There you go, report filed.  Systems are running silent and normal.  I haven't heard from Chief T'Koris yet this morning, but last I talked to her, she was helping Miss Seika debug from the common cold."

[Engineering]

Glizza smiled at the young man while she finished the thing she was doing.  She burshed her hands together as if dusting them off.  Then she accpeted the padd from the young man.

Glizza gave the report a quick review and then retunred the padd to him.  "Good job, Mr. Arthur.  Soon enough you will have Cadet's passing you reports" she added.  "That's not good news at all" she replied and then added "but after last month, maybe it is good the Chief is spending some extra time with the child."

[Gabriel Arthur]

Glizza smiled at the young man while she finished the thing she was doing.  She burshed her hands together as if dusting them off.  Then she accpeted the padd from the young man.

Glizza gave the report a quick review and then retunred the padd to him.  "Good job, Mr. Arthur.  Soon enough you will have Cadet's passing you reports" she added.  "That's not good news at all" she replied and then added "but after last month, maybe it is good the Chief is spending some extra time with the child."

[Engineering]

"If you're going to threaten me, just use a phaser...I don't know if I can deal with cadets!" he joked, smiling at the thought that he was a cadet himself not that long ago.  He hadn't taken the traditional route of an Academy enrollee, but still...

"Yeah, the little lady's down with the sniffles, but I'm sure that won't keep her out of it for long."  He couldn't help but agree with Glizza's sentiment regarding Chief T'Koris.  "It's good for the both of them, yeah."  He didn't know how much Glizza knew of the circumstances surrounding the Romulan madness, but everyone in Engineering (and the better part of the ship) knew that Seika was without her mother for the better part of a month, and that Gabriel had pulled chaperone as well as engineer duties.  "So," he said, "have you heard anything at all about what we're doing, creeping around the Neutral Zone?"

[Kirok]

[Engineering]

"If you're going to threaten me, just use a phaser...I don't know if I can deal with cadets!" he joked, smiling at the thought that he was a cadet himself not that long ago.  He hadn't taken the traditional route of an Academy enrollee, but still...

"Yeah, the little lady's down with the sniffles, but I'm sure that won't keep her out of it for long."  He couldn't help but agree with Glizza's sentiment regarding Chief T'Koris.  "It's good for the both of them, yeah."  He didn't know how much Glizza knew of the circumstances surrounding the Romulan madness, but everyone in Engineering (and the better part of the ship) knew that Seika was without her mother for the better part of a month, and that Gabriel had pulled chaperone as well as engineer duties.  "So," he said, "have you heard anything at all about what we're doing, creeping around the Neutral Zone?"

[Engineering]

"Ha, you are such the joker" Glizza replied.  But if truth be told, it was likely that Gabriel would be looked at as a possible Chief after his next promotion.  "Exploration, what we were originally intended to do.  Apparently the planets in the Neutral Zone have gone unexplored over all of this time" she explained.

"They will likely need an Engineer to go along on the Away Mission.  My preferece is to stay here and finish a few things, if you are interested in going.  Should Chief T'Koris ask of course" she added.

[Gabriel Arthur]

"Ha, you are such the joker" Glizza replied.  But if truth be told, it was likely that Gabriel would be looked at as a possible Chief after his next promotion.  "Exploration, what we were originally intended to do.  Apparently the planets in the Neutral Zone have gone unexplored over all of this time" she explained.

"They will likely need an Engineer to go along on the Away Mission.  My preferece is to stay here and finish a few things, if you are interested in going.  Should Chief T'Koris ask of course" she added.

[Engineering]

"Well, sure," Gabriel responded.  He hadn't been asked to join an away mission since the diplomatic disaster on New Romulus.  He couldn't help but feel that, possibly, the brass was disappointed with his conduct on his first one, though he hadn't actually done much except be indignant and pissed off.  He'd also participated in the ill-starred attempt to beam Archangel out of there.

"I'd like that very much, actually," he mused.  "Exploration kind of gets lost in the shuffle, especially here lately.  Hopefully, this would be a good palate cleanser.  "If the Chief gives the say-so, I'm in."

[Kirok]

[Engineering]

"Well, sure," Gabriel responded.  He hadn't been asked to join an away mission since the diplomatic disaster on New Romulus.  He couldn't help but feel that, possibly, the brass was disappointed with his conduct on his first one, though he hadn't actually done much except be indignant and pissed off.  He'd also participated in the ill-starred attempt to beam Archangel out of there.

"I'd like that very much, actually," he mused.  "Exploration kind of gets lost in the shuffle, especially here lately.  Hopefully, this would be a good palate cleanser.  "If the Chief gives the say-so, I'm in."

[Engineering]

"Then it is settled.  You can have my spot on the Away Team, if one of us is needed" Glizza replied.  She worked quietly for a while.  Then she looked back up at Gabrial.  "So, is there anything new going on with you?" she asked curiously.

[Gabriel Arthur]

"Then it is settled.  You can have my spot on the Away Team, if one of us is needed" Glizza replied.  She worked quietly for a while.  Then she looked back up at Gabrial.  "So, is there anything new going on with you?" she asked curiously.

[Engineering]

Gabe had to smile again.  He really did enjoy working with Lieutenant Glizza.  She was a pleasant surprise - when he'd first arrived on this ship and saw that one of his superiors was a Tellarite, he fully expected her to be as gruff, brusque, and flat-out not nice as their reputation made them out to be.  Glizza had proved to be just the opposite of that.

Anything new with him?  Well, let's see, he thought.  I saved Seika from certain death in the guts of this very ship.  When her mother returned, she opened up to me in a way I never would have expected.  Also, I have been recruited into God-knows-what, which, quite frankly, scares the hell out of me, but I've committed and there's no turning back, even if I wanted to.  "Eh..." he shrugged.  "The usual.  We engineers don't really get into this for the glamor," he said, grinning puckishly.

[Kirok]

[Engineering]

Gabe had to smile again.  He really did enjoy working with Lieutenant Glizza.  She was a pleasant surprise - when he'd first arrived on this ship and saw that one of his superiors was a Tellarite, he fully expected her to be as gruff, brusque, and flat-out not nice as their reputation made them out to be.  Glizza had proved to be just the opposite of that.

Anything new with him?  Well, let's see, he thought.  I saved Seika from certain death in the guts of this very ship.  When her mother returned, she opened up to me in a way I never would have expected.  Also, I have been recruited into God-knows-what, which, quite frankly, scares the hell out of me, but I've committed and there's no turning back, even if I wanted to.  "Eh..." he shrugged.  "The usual.  We engineers don't really get into this for the glamor," he said, grinning puckishly.

[Engineering]

Glizza replied with a smirk.  She wasn't all that convinced as she had noticed that Mr. Arthur and the T'Koris' had been spending a lot ot time together lately.  "Even nothing in the romantic department?" she asked.

[Archangel Koris]

[Archangel's Quarters]

Archangel carefully extracted the empty bowl from her daughter's slack grip, placing it on the little table beside the bed with a quiet clink.  The toddler was asleep at last.  The hypo Doctor Jalos had given her was starting to take effect and flush the virus from the little girl's system.  The room's temperature had been raised by a couple of degrees and Seika was curled up under a number of blankets.

Pressing a quick, gentle kiss to her daughter's head, Archangel pulled those same blankets up over the girl's shoulders and tucked Bunny the tribble into the crook between her chin and neck so that the creature's purring would help sooth the sick child.

Moving quietly, the young woman tidied up the stack of books that she had been reading to Seika, putting them back on the shelf.  Picking up the bowl again, she left the small bedroom, turning off the light so that the only illumination came from a dim purple night light.  Placing the bowl into the replicator to be recycled, she made a mental note to thank Gabriel for the chicken soup he had sent up for Seika.  Deciding to check in with Engineering, she tapped her commbadge.

"T'Koris to Engineering.  Seika's asleep.  Do you need any help down there?"

[Gabriel Arthur]

Glizza replied with a smirk.  She wasn't all that convinced as she had noticed that Mr. Arthur and the T'Koris' had been spending a lot ot time together lately.  "Even nothing in the romantic department?" she asked.

[Engineering]

"Hmm?  Oh, nothing really," Gabriel replied, his mouth engaging before his brain.  "In fact, I --"  Suddenly, he realized just what Glizza had asked, his words cutting off in a strangled choke.  "Wait, what?"  Raising an eyebrow, he cast a quick glance around the Engine Room.  Everyone was going about their jobs, doing this, counting that, reading.  Definitely not paying attention to idle chit-chat between the two officers.  Even so, he lowered his voice.  "Why?  Has anyone...um, said anything?  Not that there's anything to say, but who said it?  I mean, did anyone tell you anything?  Who did they--"

"T'Koris to Engineering.  Seika's asleep.  Do you need any help down there?"

Archangel's voice suddenly cut in on the comm, giving Gabe a second to think.  Bless you, Arch.  =^="Um, Arthur here, Chief.  We're fine, everything's fine, normal.  Systems, that is.  All systems normal.  Come down if you want?  Arthur...um, out."=^=

I'm babbling, he thought.  Why am I babbling?

Romantic department?  Now where in the hell had that come from?