[Josh Broughm]

Dorvan V
Village area

Attachment 9502

The middle-aged man looked between the three wearily, still curious about the limb-plunge and replied, “Sh-Shokaso of the Lakara Tribe. I’m glad to see the Federation has not forgotten us.”

Max, without looking at the villager, said,

- Always willing to lend a helping hand.

Sh-Shokaso looked at max's right arm & was about to say something about it, but Max smiled at him, saying,

- Lost it during the Klingon dust up.

The villager nodded and asked,

- Is the water safe to drink?

((TAG A'Mand))
Max turned to Allan and asked,

- Sensors in my arm have a limited range. How far does this well go down?

((TAG Hood))

- I have a funny feeling its not Naussican interference. Might be an undetonated Jem'Hadar torpedo. Damn Nausicaans not helping things either.

Max looked about for another well, but did not find any others. A real sinking feeling started to form in his gut. It felt like despair. He felt almost certain that a good number of villagers drank from this well. He leaned against the post of the well, rubbed his chin and said to his two colleagues quietly,

- I reckon that if we weren't called here, all of these people will be dead or extremely sick within, at the very least, two years. I betcha some of these folks have been exhibiting radiation poisoning now.

((TAG A'Mand))

- You're right, of course.

Max sighed a bit and said,

- The Dominion used a variant of the photon torpedo, right?

((TAG Hood))

- Would it have a sort of...uh...scan signature?

((TAG Hood))
Max smiled and said,

- At least the mountain we have to climb to help out isn't as steep. We need to get these people fresh water.

((TAG: Hood and/or A'Mand))

[LogicalLeopard]

Dorvan V
Approaching Native American Village

"Likewise, sir," Hood greeted friendlily, allowing his slight south-central Florida accent to seep through into their conversation. The only naive Floridian accents left are found around the west side of Lake Okeechobee. He detected a slight Wyoming/Texas sounding accent from the Bolian. "I heard there was a Bolian from Wyoming in Starfleet, sir. That wouldn't be you, would it, sir?"

Biiqs' eyes widened at both the recognition of his accent, and the information that others knew about the novelty. "Why, yes I am! Very astute of you to notice! I may be the only Bolian from the Cowboy State serving in Starfleet, but there are a few of us in the area. Mostly up north in Montana, where there are plenty of non-humans who settled around Bozeman. I'm from Sheridan County, my folks have a farm in Big Horn. Where are you from?" His brow wrinkled in concentration, trying to place Hood's accident. "Georgia? No...Florida?"

Christopher smiled and shook the man's hand warmly, "Well, we can certainly do better than Dr Svenson, my bedside manner doesn't rate more than a class 2 ion storm. I tell you what, you come in for a physical when we're all done here and I promise you'll leave with the same amount of internal organs that you arrived with. Anything more than that and I won't make any guarantees. I'm about to head off to see if the colony has a medical centre that I can commandeer so come look me up later."

Biiqs laughed heartily. "Well, Doctor, that certainly seems like a fair agreement. I'll be sure to look you up later; it appears you have a lot of work ahead of you now. Godspeed."

A’Mand appreciated the gesture and returned the greeting, “likewise Lieutenant Commander. Welcome to Dorvan V.”

"Thank you, Counselor." He nodded politely in return.


After his conversations concluded, he moved along with the group, following the young man Wakoro. Overhearing a bit of his conversation with Captain Terry about the [i]Lakota/i], he thought about how the name had previously inspired him to apply for the tactical position aboard that vessel a year ago. Centuries ago, the Lakota had roamed the Great Plains, including his native Wyoming, although they eventually settled elsewhere. It matched his own desire to move on, at that period of time in his life.

Wakoro was definitely right: There was no mistaking the embassy building. Walking around the settlement, one might think they were on Earth, somewhere in the American Southwest. The rough, incongruous Cardassian architecture robbed all of any such belief, reinforcing the understanding that the planet rested safely within the Cardassian Union's borders. A Federation Embassy would be designed to blend in with the native architecture. But of course, Cardassian architecture was built to project the power of the state. Naturally, it was the tallest building in the settlement, dominant and imposing. It looked to be a more solid defensive point as well. It was no wonder that the makeshift hospital was located in the lobby. It would both physically protect them, and also continue to reinforce the belief that the state would nurture and take care of its citizens.

It was interesting observing Wakaro's reaction to Locke's faux pas. It was a very easy one to commit - one would assume that those asking for aid would tend toward the humble side. But, he knew of course that among many cultures, it was hard to be humble when you have been humbled. Especially through warfare.
How very like the Cardassians, these Dorvans are, he mused to himself.

[Allan Hood]

Dorvan V
Village area

Biiqs' eyes widened at both the recognition of his accent, and the information that others knew about the novelty. "Why, yes I am! Very astute of you to notice! I may be the only Bolian from the Cowboy State serving in Starfleet, but there are a few of us in the area. Mostly up north in Montana, where there are plenty of non-humans who settled around Bozeman. I'm from Sheridan County, my folks have a farm in Big Horn. Where are you from?" His brow wrinkled in concentration, trying to place Hood's accident. "Georgia? No...Florida?"

"It's hard detecting any Florida accident," Hood admitted, "very good. I grew up in Caloosahatchee in south Florida, west of Lake Okeechobee. There are still cowboys that keep up the family tradition of farming and raising cattle, though there hasn't been a need for hundreds of years. Seems to be in their blood."

((TAG Biiq))

“Based on initial impressions, I concur. Yet physical trauma will be relatively easy to determine, diagnose and provide appropriate treatment. There will also be mental stresses associated with the Nausicaan attacks. As we have already seen; avoiding open spaces suggests a pervasive need for safety. Such insecurity will certainly affect not only their physiological functions, but also their ability to rationally deal with our presence and willingness to assist. To be sure, reports on the Dorvan culture places some emphasis on resilience and adaptability, yet sustained pressure by the Nausicaans may dampen cultural mores.

I recommend enhanced caution when interacting with the Dorvans in the short-term, especially near their artifacts. Although their prime concern may be their own safety, they will likely not abandon links to culturally sensitive icons or locations."

"I completely agree, Counselor," Hood replied back. It was easy to forget her Vulcan heritage, until she was serious. When she meant business, she easily slipped back to the Vulcan personality anyone would expect. Hood admired her ability to swap and adapt her personality to her surroundings, transitioning smoothly to whichever culture she was interacting, a very logical thing to do. He appreciated her desire to soften the Vulcan stereotype for the benefit of others.

Max smiled slightly.

- Understood. I know all too well the history of my ancestors is painted with the blood of many Native American tribes during the United States' expansion into the western portion of North America. Rather disgusting, if you ask me.

"Go easy on yourself, Storm," Hood said with regret. "There were times in my family's history that we fought alongside the natives and fought against them, too. My family fought with the Leni Lenape and the Susquehannocks while defending New Sweden against the English in the Province of Maryland in 1644, only for us to turn on them generations later. Maybe we're here to help 'erase the stain of blood worn by our families,' too.

"Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking."

- Born in San Antonio, but moved to Dallas when I was three. Then we hopped on Dad's first ship, the USS Bolton.

- Max noticed a well close to a dwelling...Analyzing the water. Seeing if there's any-

A light went off on his forearm. He pulled his hand out and activated a small holoprojection with a graph depicting the water's chemical composition.

- Allan, isn't water supposed to not have radiation in it?

"The planet is soaked in radiation," Hood began, "following any radiation emergency, we have to test the drinking water to make sure it is potable. Until those results are available, replicated water is the only water source that is certain to be free of contamination. The well water is good for bathing, washing and rising off food, but, should not be considered potable. We also have to make sure the Dorvanians know that boiling the water does not get rid of radioactive materials."

- Think it could be the ambient radiation affecting the water?

"There's no question about it," Hood replied, "radioactive material can fall from the air like dust or sand and land on objects below, like people, buildings, and water. Radioactive contamination spreads the same way that any pollution can. After cleaning the planet, we have to test for radionuclides, taking the appropriate steps if radionuclide levels are higher than human limits. According to my readings, their homes have accumulated much higher and more dangerous levels of radiation when it soaked through the cracks in the foundations, seeping in from the ground through openings in floors or walls. The radiation is accumulating in buildings and their wells. This planet is not safe."

Max turned to Allan and asked,
- Sensors in my arm have a limited range. How far does this well go down?

"17.56 meters."

Max sighed a bit and said,
- The Dominion used a variant of the photon torpedo, right?

"The Dominion used Karemmaian torpedoes during the war."

- Would it have a sort of...uh...scan signature?

"The torpedos would have a subspace resonance signature. The frequency variances would identify a torpedo.

We need to get these people fresh water.

"There isn't any fresh water available; the planet is saturated with antimatter radiation from the Dominion attack, like the one on Cardassia. The industrial replicators should be beamed down shortly. We're going to need to let all the residents know they have access to fresh water and food that isn't contaminated.

“As I've already shown the captain, my team developed a successful plan to remove the antimatter radiation,” Hood explained, “it’s almost identical to what my restoration team did on Cardassia Prime, using the deflector dish to eliminate the radiation in the atmosphere. We only had to adapt it from the warmer and more humid climate of Cardassia to the mixed climate of Dorvan V. The soil and oceans will clear in a few days; the reaction will expand exponentially. We’ll be delivering a catalytic agent, creating an isolytic chain reaction, recombining the nucleonic particles in the planet’s environment.”

((TAG Storm, A'Mand))

[Scarlett]

Dorvan V
Village area

Attachment 8042

The villager nodded and asked,

- Is the water safe to drink?

A’Mand took a step toward the villager, who held both hands to his chest as she moved. She raised a hand to place on his shoulder. “Shokaso, we are from the USS Ares. Part of our mission is to provide material support and defense to your people. As such, we are testing the water and air to see what work we can do to assist.”

She looked to Max and Allan as their conversation started getting technical. Shokaso started to pay attention to the tone used by the pair of Lieutenants.

In an attempt to distract the villager, A’Mand stepped between him and the officers while looking at the nearby dwelling. “I’m curious if you have any prepared food available? We are curious about the quality of local flora and fauna.”

Shokaso’s eyes brightened. “Ah, yes. I just finished baking a plate of Lakara frybread! I made it with chopped letuci leaves. It’s not much, but I can share a slice.”

A’Mand smiled and thanked Shokaso as he scurried toward his dwelling.

Max looked about for another well, but did not find any others. A real sinking feeling started to form in his gut. It felt like despair. He felt almost certain that a good number of villagers drank from this well. He leaned against the post of the well, rubbed his chin and said to his two colleagues quietly,

- I reckon that if we weren't called here, all of these people will be dead or extremely sick within, at the very least, two years. I betcha some of these folks have been exhibiting radiation poisoning now.

A’Mand turned to the officers. “Based on the concern Shokaso exhibited from our initial investigation, it is highly likely they are unaware of the dangers to their health related to the radiation poisoning. I strongly recommend we take special care how we discuss the current situation near them.”

- You're right, of course.

The Vulcan nodded and stepped away to intercept Shokaso, yet maintained earshot to Max and Allan.

We need to get these people fresh water.

"There isn't any fresh water available; the planet is saturated with antimatter radiation from the Dominion attack, like the one on Cardassia. The industrial replicators should be beamed down shortly. We're going to need to let all the residents know they have access to fresh water and food that isn't contaminated.

“As I've already shown the captain, my team developed a successful plan to remove the antimatter radiation,” Hood explained, “it’s almost identical to what my restoration team did on Cardassia Prime, using the deflector dish to eliminate the radiation in the atmosphere. We only had to adapt it from the warmer and more humid climate of Cardassia to the mixed climate of Dorvan V. The soil and oceans will clear in a few days; the reaction will expand exponentially. We’ll be delivering a catalytic agent, creating an isolytic chain reaction, recombining the nucleonic particles in the planet’s environment.”

“Once we receive Shokaso’s food sample, should we report our findings so Lieutenant Hood can start decontamination protocols?”



((TAG: Storm, Hood))

[Josh Broughm]

Dorvan V
Village area

“Once we receive Shokaso’s food sample, should we report our findings so Lieutenant Hood can start decontamination protocols?”

Max nodded and said,
- Its protocol.
He turned to Allan & asked,
- Once we get all the info you need, how long will it take to clear that radiation?
((TAG Hood))
Max took the bucket of water and dumped back into the well, then turned to A'Mand and asked,
- In your professional opinion, how would you evaluate the Dorvanians state of mind?
((TAG A'Mand))
- Well, at least its something.

When Shokaso came out of the dwelling, he offered them the food he made. Max bowed his head in appreciation.
((TAG Hood))



((TAG: A'Mand, Hood))

[Asteropax]

Dorvan V
Elder Village - Cardassian Embassy

Stepping off the elevator, Captain Teriir let his gaze pass through the dome shaped chamber. The floor they were on had been split in two by a large dividing wall, separating what he guessed were offices from their current section. Judging from its layout, he believed it was the main conference room.

The outer walls had been replaced with glass which allowed sunlight to enter and for visitors to see the outside world. The conference room had a large, oval table placed in its center, with lighting provided from the table's florescent surface and various lamps placed around the edges of the room. A number of the local populace, most members of the Tribal Council, were milling around while several Cardassians spoke in hushed tones nearby.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Wakoro cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "The Federation Officers are here."

The Dorvans and Cardassians looked over to the group of officers and gave a collective greeting. The Cardassian at the seat opposite from where they entered rose to his feet. Teriir stayed silent as Gul Enok circled the table to place himself between his people and the Starfleet Officers, neither of them breaking eye contact. He moved forwards to take the lead as well, doing his best to stay calm. The Cardassian broke the ice, "We monitored the combat in orbit. Disabling your starship's external inertial dampeners to achieve tactical superiority is a trademark of the 6th Fleet. I see time away from war hasn't made one of Ivanov's Wolves lose their teeth."

"I think we can both agree that we are very different now that there is peace between us. Although I think we can agree it is important to keep those teeth sharp for when their needed for the future," Teriir replied, keeping his tone steady as the other officers behind him began gawking at him. He briefly turned around, trying to ease their concerns and rapid questioning about how he knew the Cardassian war hero, "I'll explain later. Right now, I believe we have more pressing matters than our shared history."

Looking back to Gul Enok, he realized he had just performed a similar reassurance to his own people. With a number of new officers and war veterans around, there was sure to be some bad blood and plenty of curiosity. The Captain knew he would have to explain what that nickname meant when he got the chance, as it was unusual but one that was fitting considering how his wartime fleet operated. The Gul shifted and gestured towards several open seats, an invitation for the Starfleet Officers to be seated. Teriir gave his head a sharp, angled nod to encourage the others to pick a chair.

Observing the seating around the oval table, the Tribal Council took up one of the longer sides, with a place left open for someone else to sit. He remembered it was the same one where Gul Enok had moved from to greet them so he moved to sit across from him. Teriir looked at the Tribal Councilors seated at the table and recognized two of them from a history overview he read; Chief Anthwara and Wakasa. Both of them had a major role in the decision which allowed their colony on Dorvan V to remain within Cardassian Territory. While he was checking out the Tribal Councilors, Captian Terry sat down on his left while Locke and Biiqs went to sit on his right, with Locke conceding the chair to Biiqs after remembering he was outranked.

Teriir looked up at Gul Enok as he sat down heavily in his seat, listening to what the Cardassian had to say, "I won't dawdle, Captain. I thought there would be more of your officers present here."

"There are other officers here, each starting to assist where they can," Teriir replied, the memory of numerous conversations with Starfleet Admirals keeping him sharp now. Nodding to his fellow Captain, he continued, "Both of us came down with Medical Officers and they are on the ground level, assisting with the patients there. My Science Officer is collecting data on the local radiation with a few others to figure out the best means to cleanse it."

"I see," the Gul's voice rumbled thoughtfully, "In our earlier conversation, you mentioned that your ships managed to pinpoint the location of two Nausicaan bases setup on the planet. Do you have any plans on dealing with the immediate threat on the ground?"

Teriir took advantage of a connection point on the table and set his tricorder on it. He entered in a number of commands so it would display the local map for reference, the center of the table displaying the same map.

Attachment 9246

"The transmissions we monitored were broadcast to these two locations. Preliminary scans have confirmed that there are indeed Nausicaan bases at these locations," He described the map they were all seeing. Looking over to the Council Members who were gazing at him expectantly, he acknowledged them, "Right now, this is info only as we have yet to complete our scans of these areas. As this is your world, I want to include you as much as possible as in determining our course of action."

"This is acceptable," Chief Wakasa looked over to his son while he spoke, "I would like Wakoro to be with you in these discussions as he knows those areas very well. His knowledge will greatly benefit you in rescuing our people."

"I concur," Cheif Anthwara joined in, looking more uneasy than his counterpart, "However, I would like to point out that we're vulnerable here still. Are you going to be able to ensure the village's safety?"

"We have a lot of resources to work with," Captian Terry commented, "Between our two ships, we have enough personnel to take both bases at once while also ensuring your safety."

Teriir knew that although this was accurate, he also knew there were a lot of factors to take in which they didn't know about yet, "We'll focus on ensuring the village is protected from Nausicaan attacks first and then deal with their bases. Nausicaans are known to keep their prisoners separate from their leaders, so when we get to the bases, we'll go after whichever base has your people captive first. Commander Biiqs will be commanding the security efforts here."

The Captain paused to allow Biiqs to provide the Councilors with an overview of the security measures they would be providing for the village.

(( TAG: Biiqs ))

[Silynn]

U.S.S. ARES
Deck 19 – Cargo Bay 3

“Alright you grease monkeys and deck apes, I want your kits squared and ready before I finish this cigar,” bellowed Master Chief Samson.

He was standing at the head of the cargo bay, being used as a staging area for his technicians being assigned to various duties as ordered by the Chief Engineer. With the tasks given to him, the Master Chief divided up his technicians into two to five-man engineering teams assigned to specific engineering officers. Most were assigned to the asteroids as that demanded a high degree of engineering manpower. However, he had two teams that were assigned to ‘special duty’, though the members he picked for those teams did not know it as of yet.

As he watched his crewman go about their ordered chaos, he noticed one that was not running about and in fact had part of an industrial replicator disassembled.

“Petty Officer Han! What in the blazes are you doing?” bellowed Master Chief Samson as he strode over to Petty Officer Jeihee Han.

Jei looked up at her Master Chief and caused him to flinch due to the abnormally bright and focused glare of her head lamp she was wearing while holding a small electronic box in her hand. “Sorry, Master Chief, I didn’t hear your first,” innocently replied Jei.

Placing his hands on his hips for effect, “I asked, WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING TO MY INDUSTRIAL REPLICATOR” repeated Master Chief Samson as the words echoed throughout the cargo bay.

The effect had every crewman stop in their tracks and to look over at their Master Chief.

Non-repulsed, Jei simply held up the box in her hand, as if he could plainly see the reason why she tore into the once pristine industrial replicator. “This control box is faulty, Master Chief. If I didn’t remove it and replace it here, it could have malfunctioned and fused itself inside the control matrix. That would make the whole unit inoperable and irreparable… in the field, as it would require a full workshop to…”

The Master Chief waved his hand, as he had heard enough, then balled his fists at his side. He admired the petty officer for her attention to detail and know how, but he loathed her uncanny unorthodox methods or timing. If she were a man, he would have railed into her, but when he looked into her big innocent eyes, he just got frustrated. He took a moment and studied the situation. He realized she was correct and that this failure would have set their scheduled timelines to the right.

“Where’s your kit?” simply asked the Master Chief. Fishing for anything to harp on the petty officer. Figuring if she spent time goofing around with the industrial replicator, she couldn’t have all of her kit ready for his inspection.

“Over there Master Chief. All laid out and ready for inspection, as you requested,” answered Jei as she replaced the control matrix and began to reassemble the industrial replicator.

As he walked over to her kit, he waved his arm in a circling motion and eyed the rest of the crewman to get to them back to work. When he got to Jei’s kit, face palmed himself. On a towel, every tool, every item, per Starfleet’s technician manual was laid out neatly. He even saw the improvements when he mentally put each item back into the tool belt and bag nearby. This made him more frustrated, he began to understand what her previous supervisors meant in their comments of her fitness reports. Incredibly proficient and stellar ability, yet at times a challenge without trying to be a challenge with warnings of likely problems under certain conditions. He shook his head and looked at Petty Officer Han. She was finishing running her post repair diagnostics on the replicator. He knew he needed to have the other replicators checked and fixed as well.

“Han!” the Master Chief bellowed as he waved Jeihee over.

Jeihee spent a moment explaining to Crewmen Rodriguez and Miller what they needed to do to finish the repair before walking over to her impatient Master Chief. Jei never understood the rush or hurry when the alarm klaxons were not blaring. To her, it always seemed those in power wished people would act faster and do their jobs faster when the alarms weren’t on. It made no sense to her.

“Yes, Master Chief?” stated Jei once she stood before her supervisor.

“Jei, I have a special assignment for you. I wasn’t sure if you were suited for it, but… I’ve reconsidered. Pack-up your kit and report to Shuttle Bay 2. You’re being assigned to assist the Medical Teams with their mission groundside. Setting up their clinics, helping with local infrastructure, whatever the Medical Away Team Leader needs in regards to technical service. Questions?”

“No questions, Master Chief… though, as the Captain and the initial team is still planet side, should I assist with the refitting of the replicators. Seems we got a bad batch,” inquired Jei.

Not wanting to fight her logic with his budding headache, “Sure, knock yourself out.”

“Aye Aye, Master Chief,” acknowledged Jei as she began to put her tool belt and bag together before heading off to the next industrial replicator. Jei didn’t care what work she had, as long as it kept her busy. She didn’t know when the Medical Away Team would leave, but she hoped it was before she ran out of stuff to work on. She needed to stay busy. Perhaps the dorsal phaser array capacitors needed another inspection for any micro-cracks or imperfections.

[LogicalLeopard]

Dorvan V
Main Settlement (Earlier)

Dorvan V
Village area

"It's hard detecting any Florida accident," Hood admitted, "very good. I grew up in Caloosahatchee in south Florida, west of Lake Okeechobee. There are still cowboys that keep up the family tradition of farming and raising cattle, though there hasn't been a need for hundreds of years. Seems to be in their blood."

((TAG Biiq))

"Oh, there was a particularly tough Chief during my enlisted training on Mars that was from some little town there. Pahokee, as I remember. He gave me so much trouble, I used to wonder what sort of place could produce such a human. Pahokee, not Florida, I mean," he said with a laugh, making a defensive motion with his hands. "I'm sure we'll get along fine. My folks were agricultural scientist as well. There isn't as big a need on Earth, with replicators, but many prefer it. It's especially important out in the colonies. They tested and developed crops and herd animals for offworld use. It's a bit antiquated, but it is satisfying to those that practice it. We'll have to talk soon!"


((TAG Hood))



- - - Updated - - -

Dorvan V
Cardassian Embassy





The view from the elevator was breathtaking. At the higher levels, one could see over the walls of the settlement at the surrounding countryside. A crystalline blue river snaked its way from the stately northern mountains. There was a Terran poem he learned years ago, although the author and most of the composition escaped him. "I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." It was easy in a natural sense to understand why the Dorvan settlers would be attracted to this area - it was very Earth like. But that wasn't what led to the establishment of the settlement here, according to the information he'd read on the colonists. Like the poem, there was something deeper; a spiritual connection that beckoned them to stay, even if it ultimately put them in the hands of another historically oppressive government. To them, the rivers weren't just familiar looking geographical features, they were known.

At least, that's how it appeared the colonists thought of such matters. Overhearing the conversation between Captain Teriir and Wakaro, and the latter's statement about "understanding rather than knowing" supported such a theory. He'd have to make sure that actions taken to guard the settlement didn't cause any additional damage to the environment. The river was beautiful, but poisoned. The crops were spare. The people suffered right along with their chosen home.

After the elevator doors parted and the group made it's way to the conference table, Biiqs couldn't help but be a little apprehensive about once again dealing with Cardassians. It seemed like half his Starfleet career was spent dealing with the Cardassians at some point, from his early experiences along the tense border in the 60's to the Dominion War. For Biiqs, the Starfleet recruitment slogan might as well had been, "Join Starfleet, See Cardassians!" It wasn't so much hate: he understood their culture, and there were parts of it he admired. He was just tired of them.

He'd never met Gul Enok, but he was tired of him from the time he rose from his feet, fixing Captain Teriir with a predatory stare. Couldnt people simply talk without pretense and posing? Still, Biiqs made sure to keep a friendly, if rather bland, smile fixed upon his face.

The Cardassian broke the ice, "We monitored the combat in orbit. Disabling your starship's external inertial dampeners to achieve tactical superiority is a trademark of the 6th Fleet. I see time away from war hasn't made one of Ivanov's Wolves lose their teeth."


"I think we can both agree that we are very different now that there is peace between us. Although I think we can agree it is important to keep those teeth sharp for when their needed for the future,"

Enok's skipping of formalities in in favor of rendering his analysis of Captain Teriir's tactics was just as original as his staring contest. He'd heard of, or directly witnessed, Guls and Glinns engage in such senseless, petty posturing many times before. But what was unexpected was the sudden realization that Gul Enok wasn't merely trying to intimidate the captain, but he might actually know the captain, apparently. His wording wasn't specific, but there appeared to be more than simple tactical recognition in his statement. Considering Teriir's age and recent command promotion, Biiqs gaped slightly, wondering under what surely interesting circumstances had a junior officer met such a lofty Gul. And made a strong impression on the aforementioned Gul, apparently. This captain was full of surprises.

Fortunately Locke asked the question on Biiqs' mind, and probably Captain Terry's as well. "Sir," he asked in an insistent whisper that was probably louder than it should be, "You know him? I...I mean, he knows you?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, I believe we have more pressing matters than our shared history."

Both officers nodded in response. Suddenly, Biiqs wasn't as tired of Cardassians as he had been when he entered the room.

Biiqs took a seat across from the Cardassians and Dorvanite Elders, inclining his head with an apologetic half-smile to Locke as he surrendered the seat next to the captain. When the captain finished, Biiqs rose to speak.

"This settlement is fortunate in that the manner of its construction allows it to be easily defended. The high walls offer protection, and this building provides a view of the surrounding countryside from all angles," he said, gesturing at the windows, "should the Naausicans possess any sort of sensor jamming capabilities. As Captain Teriir indicated, we are still assessing the Naausicans' number of personnel and abilities. But I'd like to also secure the village with transport inhibitors as soon as possible. We also would greatly appreciate any information you have on the Naausicans' raiders as well, whether it be sensor data, or, and especially, first hand accounts. Any bit of detail might help us to identify exactly which particular gang they belong to, and their possible resources and capabilities."

"As for the settlement, I believe an force of perhaps 30 security officers could hold it very well. We can also call upon fighters from the Ares to be on standby outside of the limits of the settlement, to provide air support should the Naausicans turn out to be better armed than we think they are. And, although do not wish to impose upon you, it would be very helpful if you could provide a temporary space for us to coordinate our efforts, and allow us to land a runabout within the settlement to assist in transport, due to the transport inhibitors." He avoided the use of words like "headquarters" and "barracks" in order to not to give the impression that Starfleet would be an occupying force.


(( TAG Teriir))

[WelshAvenger]

Dorvan V
Elder Village - Medical Facility





Christopher and Doc Svenson had been working tirelessly to help the patients in the medical facility but the lack of supplies was becoming very apparent. They had almost exhausted their kits and that was only treating the colonists in the facility, not all the others that would need treatment. Achak had gotten word to some of the more remote settlements but they had no transport capable of moving so many people. After discussing the situation with Doc Svenson, they had decided it would be more prudent to take a shuttle and supplies to the settlement to treat the colonists on site. Firstly, they had to set up the facility in the village.

Christopher tapped his badge, "Cushing to Engineering."

=/\= Engineering, Chief Samson here. =/\= came the reply. Christopher sighed inwards, in the modern dictionary under the word 'Gruff' it simply said, 'See Master Chief Samson'.

"Chief, when you send down the replicators for the settlement, are any of your team coming down?" Christopher asked.

=/\= Aye Sir, I've got a few crewmen coming along to make sur that the replicators are installed and functioning properly. May I ask why? =/\=

"Well, we may have to take a trip to an outlying settlement to treat those who can't make it to the hospital here and I'd like someone from your team to come with in case there's any help they need with their equipment." Christopher explained.

=/\= I see. As it happens, I have the perfect candidate in mind. =/\=

"Great," Christopher exclaimed, "care to fill me in, Chief?"

=/\= Petty Officer Han will be accompanying the medical team on the next shuttle. =/\=

The name sounded familiar to Christopher. He remained silent for a moment as he trawled his memory. "You're sending Jei?"

=/\= Is there a problem with that? Sir? =/\=

Christopher didn't miss the challenge in the man's tone, "Not at all Chief, it's just that I think I may have given her a scare when she was in Sickbay. I kind of implied that if she didn't take it easy I'd mount her head in my office."

The Chief actually laughed, a deep, throaty rumble. =/\= Ha! You're alright with me, sir. Your help will be there as soon as possible. Engineering out. =/\=

Doc Svenson looked over, "Sounds like you made a friend."

[Allan Hood]

Dorvan V
Main Settlement (Earlier)

"Oh, there was a particularly tough Chief during my enlisted training on Mars that was from some little town there. Pahokee, as I remember. He gave me so much trouble, I used to wonder what sort of place could produce such a human. Pahokee, not Florida, I mean," he said with a laugh, making a defensive motion with his hands. "I'm sure we'll get along fine. My folks were agricultural scientist as well. There isn't as big a need on Earth, with replicators, but many prefer it. It's especially important out in the colonies. They tested and developed crops and herd animals for offworld use. It's a bit antiquated, but it is satisfying to those that practice it. We'll have to talk soon!"

"Pahokee is home to a lot of...interesting people," Hood half-joked. "People there still call it, 'The Muck,' due to the mineral-rich dark soil in which sugarcane, citrus fruits and corn are grown by the old agribusiness descendants. They're very independent and are the descendants of those who suffered until the formation of the United Earth. Even after United Earth was formed, a lot of people struggled to retain their individual identities around the Lake. They dragged their feet until the 2150s; they were accustomed to being isolated and self-sufficient for so long.

"No offense taken," Hood laughed, "but, the culture is similar on the westside of the Lake, too. It took a long time for everyone to change their ways and become part of something bigger than Earth history had ever known. I'm looking forward to talking with you, again, too."

Dorvan V
Village area - Shokaso Residence

“Once we receive Shokaso’s food sample, should we report our findings so Lieutenant Hood can start decontamination protocols?”

- Once we get all the info you need, how long will it take to clear that radiation?

"It'll help knowing the altered molecular structure of any items so we can set a more accurate calibration for the isolytic chain reaction," Hood replied. "The radiation will be eliminated from the planet in a few days with the deflector dish, then, the soil and oceans will be decontaminated. Any physical cleanings, water purifying, disinfection, antisepsis and sterilization will be taken care of through this planet-wide process. The villagers will need treated on an individual basis."

((TAG Storm, A'Mand))

[Josh Broughm]

Dorvan V
Village area - Shokaso Residence

"It'll help knowing the altered molecular structure of any items so we can set a more accurate calibration for the isolytic chain reaction," Hood replied. "The radiation will be eliminated from the planet in a few days with the deflector dish, then, the soil and oceans will be decontaminated. Any physical cleanings, water purifying, disinfection, antisepsis and sterilization will be taken care of through this planet-wide process. The villagers will need treated on an individual basis."

Max smiled widely and said,

- Proceed with your scans. A'Mand, with me, if you please.

((TAG A'Mand))

It took the two only a few seconds to get back to the administration centre. Max stood at a loose attention & said,

- Lt.'s Storm & A'Mand with a situation report on the general condition of the village, sir!

((TAG Terrir))

- Sir, Lt. Hood is collecting more detailed scans of the area as to help him set up the plan you discussed with him.

((TAG Terrir))

- Physically, to me, sir, it seems the villagers are pretty damned hardy.

((TAG A'Mand))

- I believe we should start the cleansing process as soon as humanly possible.

((TAG Terrir, Hood, A'Mand))

[Asteropax]

Dorvan V
Elder Village - Cardassian Embassy

Captain Teriir took notice of the acceptance from the Tribal Councilors and Cardassians alike when Biiqs finished speaking. He was relieved by both their approval of the plan and also how careful Biiqs was in outlining everything to them. Gul Enok spoke up, addressing the Tactical Officer but looking at Teriir, "We've set aside the second level of this complex for you to use as a coordination center."

"Thank you," he replied, doing his best to remain cordial. There were a few other issues to cover, "As I mentioned earlier, my science officer is taking samples of the local radiation. He was on the team of scientists whom performed the radiation cleanup of Cardassia and plans on duplicating the procedure here."

"Any chance we'll have to evacuate?" Wakoro asked.

"None," Teriir answered, "There are variables which need to be accounted for with this world's climate as it is very different from Cardassia. Beyond that, it should be a straightforward modification to our starship's deflector array to create an isolytic chain reaction. That will cause the radiation to clean itself up."

"What about the long term security for our people?" Chief Anthwara cut in, "We would all hate for these efforts to be made only for the Nausicaans or some other raiders to attack us."

"We'll be able to handle the situation on the ground once we finish gathering information. Going into the future, the Cardassian Government has requested we setup a number of orbital defense platforms to keep unwelcome visitors away. These defenses will be remotely operated from here so there won't be a need to build a new structure for their operators. We need to construct them onsite so we brought along industrial replicators and wish for your approval to perform a resourcing operation on the local asteroid belt. Because I understand you do not want to harm your world's soul, we'll get what we need elsewhere so we aren't disturbing you. The Lakota is going to be working on the manufacturing and deployment of the platforms while the Ares will remain in orbit to perform everything else."

He didn't miss the looks of worry the Tribal councilors had when he brought up the need to construct the orbital platforms from scratch. Their murmurs and sighs of relief when he informed them that he'd make sure they left the planet alone made him crack a smile.

"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Gul Enok still looked uneasy but he appeared more relaxed as he spoke. He rose from his seat; an unofficial signal to end their meeting, "We've leave you to it."

"Thank you," Teriir stood up as well, with others moving as well. While his fellow officers started heading over to the elevator, he found himself staying put. He was looking across the table at Gul Enok, unable to shake his wariness. He could tell the Gul somehow shared the feeling as he stayed put too. He broke eye contact first, "I still think about everything that happened. During the War."

"I too have a lot on my mind," The Gul answered, taking a heavy sigh while speaking, "But . . . now is not the best time to talk about it. Ecpecially since this is the first time we've spoken beyond Aureum."

"Yeah, some other time would be better," He agreed, dipping his head while doing so.

With that, he retreated to the elevator, his knees shaking the whole way. He'd been in conversations with officers and officials of all sorts but this was the first time he hardly knew what to do.

(( TAG: Biiqs ))

"I'm alright, Commander," Teriir replied, "I've just had to keep a lot of hard memories bottled up from the War."

"Same for a lot of us," Locke remarked, "It's not everyday you meet a leader on the other side. Still, that seemed way to personal for just the fight at Regulak towards the end of the War."

"It is," he answered, "However, it is a pretty long story, and it involves Aureum."

"Aureum?" Captain Terry repeated. Her tone was very heavy as she explained, "That used to be a jewel to archaeologists across the Federation, with ruins dating back 100,000 years and remnants of societies of all levels of development coexisting there at different times. Nobody was home when it was first discovered but by the time the War started, there were roughly 2 million people living in cities away from the ruins. Hundreds of sites were destroyed when the Dominion attempted to take the planet around the same time as the Battle of Betazed, wiping out almost the entire population in the process."

The elevator reached the ground level before anything else could be said, and Teriir noticed Lieutenant Storm and Councilor A'Mand outside.

- Lt.'s Storm & A'Mand with a situation report on the general condition of the village, sir!

Teriir gave himself a shake as though he'd just climbed out of a river, "Yes? What have you found?"

- Sir, Lt. Hood is collecting more detailed scans of the area as to help him set up the plan you discussed with him.

"That's good to hear. How are the people holding up?"

- Physically, to me, sir, it seems the villagers are pretty damned hardy.

The Captain nodded absently, his own thoughts now turning back to the memories of the battle that took place at Aureum. Of the major battles he participated in, it was between this one and the Battle of the Shattered Moon which haunted him the most. For a few moments, he let the memories flow through his mind and the events that took place. They finished their terrible dance by the time Storm spoke again.

- I believe we should start the cleansing process as soon as humanly possible.

"Right," Teriir grunted, "Lets just make sure we give him and the other science teams the time they need to study the radiation. We don't want to risk making things worse."

(( TAG: A'Mand, Storm, Biiqs ))

[Silynn]

U.S.S. ARES
Deck 15 – Shuttle Bay 2

Jei paced about, getting a bit antsy waiting. She didn’t like waiting. Not because she was inpatient, in fact, she was quite the opposite. Jei has incredible patience, when it comes to doing meticulous tasks that require great and tedious detail. A slight side-effect of her mild OCD. It’s when Jei felt she had no control or had nothing to occupy herself. When Jei couldn’t occupy her mind with current tasks, her mind begins to wander. And when it wanders, she is deeply afraid it would pull up bad memories. Memories she had worked to suppress… and forget.

Jei looked at Crewman Dawson nearby, who was taking advantage of the downtime to catch some extra sleep. Jei sighed to herself, a bit envious, and turned her gaze at the neatly packed industrial replicators next to her. They were ready to be loaded onto the shuttle, when it returned from the surface. The first shuttle run carried pallets of relief and medical supplies. Replicators, various other supplies, and support personnel were slated for the next available shuttle.

Jei needed to do something. She walked over to the pallet and started to work out in her mind, how she was going to disassemble the industrial replicator again. To quadruple-check the units for any flaws or issues she may have missed the three previous diagnostic checks. She knew that she shouldn’t, as if the shuttle returned it would delay things as she would have to reassemble it prior to loading it onboard. But Jei *needed* to do something. This waiting and doing nothing was making her uncomfortable. Her mind was screaming at her to crack open the replicator unit.

“Uh… I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” came a casual, yet familiar voice nearby.

Jei deftly slid her hyperspanner back into her toolbelt before turning around. There stood Chief Petty Officer Nakamura with his small team of security officers.

“What are you doing here, Chief Nakamura?” inquired Jei, mildly relieved.

Eddie grinned his characteristically friendly smile. “To make sure you and the other away team members are safe. My team has been assigned to Lieutenant Cushing’s mission team.”

Jei gazed at the other four security crewman off to the side. They only had the standard phaser sidearm holster at their waist. They did have several crates, some of various sizes, on a nearby pallet and one looked like a weapon’s container.

“Isn’t that sort of a lot to bring down?” mentioned Jei, now wanting to get the attention off herself, as she motioned at the pallet Eddie’s security crewman where loitering.

“Yeah, but that isn’t all my stuff. Just the container there and out rucksacks. Most of that stuff was requested by Commander Tarquin, our CTO,” explained Eddie.

Jei walked over to the pallet and saw the crate markings. “Transporter inhibitors? And your team bringing down a weapon’s crate? What exactly is going on down there?” inquired Jei.

“I’m not exactly sure. We are going to support Lieutenant Cushing’s mission of helping the locals, but we have intel that there are Nausicaan raiders hiding about,” informed Eddie.

Jei’s eyes narrowed as she thought back to her time on the SS JOSEPHINE, and how the nausicaan’s slaughtered the entire crew, her new family. She repaid those raiders in kind by returning the favor by flooding the JOSEPHINE and the connected nausicaan raider ship with plasma coolant. The resulting deaths were not a pleasant way to go.

“Hey Jei… are you ok?” asked Eddie, a bit of concern in his tone.

Jei looked around and realized her mind had wandered again. “Oh, sorry. I just don’t care for nausicaan’s… so what exactly is Lieutenant Cushing’s mission?” inquired Jei, again trying to redirect attention away from her momentary lapse.

“The people of Dorvan are pretty sick due to various radiation and environmental poisoning, after-affects from the fighting during the war. Lieutenant Cushing has been tasked to get the population on the road to recovery from that in regards to physical health. I surmise you and Crewman Dawson will be providing general technical support,” informed Eddie.

“I see. I thought this was a punishment assignment, but by the way you explain it, it seems less so.”

“Punishment? What are you talking about? Master Chief Samson would never send anyone on an important mission as a punishment. Most especially a potentially hazardous one. He’d only send his most capable and dependable. Am I clear, Petty Officer Han?” retorted Eddie. He hated having to pull authority like that to clear up a misconception, but Eddie wanted to be certain Jei that she was valuable and a vital part of the team… and mission.

“Crystal, Chief,” simply answered Jei.

Eddie sighed, seeing how Jei again totally retracted into her shell once he used her formal title. He probably could have handle that differently, but he a little caught off guard. The Master Chief was a good friend of Eddie’s and his weakness of standing up for his friends got the better of him. Even if it was a misunderstanding.

“Look Jei… we were selected as our superiors think we’re the best ones for this job. We’re going to be doing what we… Starfleet, was meant to do. Help others. It’s a tough job, but we’re Starfleet. We will get it done. I haven’t met Lieutenant Cushing in person yet. But the lower decks scuttlebutt is pretty favorable toward him.”

“How so? I had an encounter with him and he kind of gave me the impression that he was pretty heavy handed and a dictator,” stated Jei.

“What? Are we talking about the same doctor? Sandy blonde, beard, hates it when you refer to him by his formal rank, dry sense of humor?”

“Dry sense of humor? If you call that he threatened to hang my head on his office if I didn’t follow his orders…” replied Jei.

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh. He was a heart-felt laugh, which drew the attention of his teammates. “My goodness, Jei… *that* is his humor. I mean… you couldn’t think that he was serious… right?”

“I… don’t know. I mean, what reason would I have to not take what a superior tells me at face value?”

Eddie’s laugh subsided as he saw the seriousness in Jei. ~Did she really not get it?~ pondered Eddie. “Jei, all Doctor Cushing meant was that he was serious about wanting you to get better after you were fell in the Jefferies tube. Believe me, he is pretty passionate about his patients well-being and so he said that to let you know he was seriously concerned.”

“I see. I suppose that makes sense,” acknowledged Jei.

“Don’t fret about it. Besides, we went get ground side, we’ll be up to our eyeballs in work,” added Eddie.

~Good…~ thought Jei, not wanting to vocalize her true feelings.

=^= Attention all hands, Shuttle Phobos incoming. ETA 5-minutes. Deck Crew stand-by for system checks and re-launch in 35 minutes. Mission Team, stand-by for embarking. =^=

“I guess we’re up. You better wake-up Crewman Dawson and triple-check your kits and rucks. I’ll be doing the same with my guys,” advised Eddie.

“Aye, Aye, Chief,” acknowledged Jei as she went over to her napping teammate.

[Asteropax]

Dorvan V
Elder Village

As the group put the Cardassian Embassy behind them, moving back to the courtyard to beam back to their ships, Teriir tapped onto his combadge, "Teriir to Ares."

"Ares here, Captain," Commmander R'Turan replied.

"We've been allowed to use the second level of the local embassy as a coordination center while the first level is the main hospital," He began summarizing the meeting to the Commander, "One of the local leader, Wakoro, will be joining us as a liaison to the Tribal Council. Start sending down the other away teams as soon as possible but remind our people that we are guests here. We have to respect the local customs and not interfere with their daily lives."

"Understood. Ares out."

"Well then," Captain Terry remarked next to him, "We better get back to our ships to help coordinate supply deliveries."

"Aye, Captain," Lieutenant Ogbah acknowledged his superior and then looked towards Teriir, "Before we go, could you fill me in on what we were talking about on the elevator? I think we all still want to know how Gul Enok knows you."

Teriir hesitated before answering because wasn't sure where to begin. There were also lots of minor details he would likely need to cover and they didn't have all day. He also never talked about his experiences at Aureum, speaking less of it than the Battle of the Shattered Moon. In the end, he surprised himself, "When the Dominion first invaded Aureum, I was on board a shuttle with several archaeologists heading out to a dig site. The shuttle was shot down and I got separated from the others in the crash. For nearly a week, I had to survive on my own while trying to find others to link up with, all the while engaging or avoiding Cardassian and Jem'Hadar patrols."

"Wait a minute," Ogbah interrupted the story, "A full week surviving on your own in conditions like that? How?"

"A lot of it was me making my own luck. The only tools I had with me when I started were my tricorder and a large knife one of the officers I was originally with gifted me, a 'universal survival kit' as he called it," Teriir flashed him a quick smile as he recalled his own bewilderment about the gift and caught himself palming the imaginary hilt of the knife. It had sparked his interest in learning more about their various uses and also how to use melee weapons in combat. That particular knife was still in his possession and he had taken good care of it, including it as part of his excursion uniform. He blinked and straightened his face so he could get back to the story.

"I stumbled across the facility the Dominion troops had setup as their major barracks and armory on the Northern Continent. I managed to sneak inside and detonated their armory, destroying the base along with a large number of their troops. I wasn't fast enough at escaping the scene and was captured by the Cardassians. I was brought to the invasion's overall Command Center and delivered directly to the Commanding Officer of the invasion; Gul Malak. He contacted Gul Enok, who had done the planning for their attack, and discussed what to do with me. The two of them chose to have me interrogated for information instead of being executed on the spot, with Malak performing the interactions while Enok did the talking. They pretty much skipped interrogation and went straight to torture."

He paused and observed as the others let that one word sink in. Torture. It was not a word people used lightly. Locke shifted uneasily before making eye contact with him, "That . . . that explains why you never talked about how your face changed during that battle. You looked very different from the time you beamed down to when you leaped aboard a shuttle as we evacuated all the survivors to escape a firestorm. And it also explains why you were so determined as we fought Gul Enok's flagship and its escorts a year later at Regulak."

"I never said a word during my interrogation, not even my name or Starfleet registry number," Teriir knew his voice had darkened to express the grim reality of those events, "I managed to escape from my cell the day after their 'interrogation' and succeeded in locating other Starfleet officers. I rejoined the fighting alongside them to continue fighting against the Dominion forces for the remaining two weeks of battle."

It was silent for a while as everyone digested both his story and considered their own. Whether they fought in the War or not, it left some sort of scar on all of them. Captain Terry finally broke the silence, "With all of that, I understand why Gul Enok was so uneasy with you. I imagine you emerged triumphant at Regulak and Gul Enok lost several of his closest advisers and friends in the process. He's nervous you may still be looking for payback, either for the invasion that cost millions of civilians their lives or for the interrogation. I know I have my own concerns about him because of how many friends I lost when the 7th Fleet was nearly wiped out but . . . How do you feel about it?"

"What happened in the war; it's all over for me," He answered, surprised by how steady and strong his voice stayed, "I've moved on. All the same, it’s unsettling being close to a reminder of the darker times of the War. To quote Klingon Chancellor Gorkon; If there is to be a brave new world, our generation will have the hardest time living in it."

With that, he headed over to the beam in point to return to the Ares. Somehow, he felt eager to return, as though telling the story had lifted a heavy weight off him and ready to begin anew.

(( TAG: Biiqs, Storm, A'Mand ))

[Josh Broughm]

USS Ares
Transporter Room

Storm accompanied the captain back to the ship. It was a long day & he needed a bit of a bite to eat. He turned to Terrir and asked,

- Want to grab lunch, sir? I'm a bit hungry.

((TAG Terrir))

- Oh, damn! I forgot about Gramps!

((TAG Terrir))

Max followed the captain to an empty office on the same deck. Terrir sat down at the desk as soon as they got there. Max went to the replicator and got both of them a coffee. It took the transmission a few seconds to connect before a comms officer appeared on the screen.

- Earth communications hub. How may I direct this transmission?

((TAG Terrir))

The Comms officer said plainly,

- One moment.

She checked her status board, saying,

- I can put you through immediately. Stand by.

A gruff voice came across the audio, saying,

- Max should've told you that I found waiting to be annoying.

Once connected, his face appeared on screen.

- Apologies aren't necessary, Captain. I understand i caught you at a rather inopportune time at first?

((TAG Terrir))


(( TAG Anyone else ))