The Federation Tribune - June 2004

[Rob Versteegt]

                  ==== The Federation Tribune ====
                           ==== June 2004 ====

Got a question? Visit the Newspaper FAQ!


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Academy Status Report May 2004, by Rob Verlinden.
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Current Stardate 2387.01.20 and 2389.02.10

==================

Instructors (6):
Chief Instructor Sedaq, played by Adrian Rodd
Instructor Jonathan Rooms, played by Wes Buchanan
Instructor Joran Moore, played by David Susman
Instructor Sophie Jaune, played by Rob Verlinden
Instructor Vivienne Creenan, played by Rob Versteegt
Instructor Randy Orsolo, played by Dennis Church

Instructors on LOA(4):
Instructor Patrick Kelly, played by William Lea
Instructor T'Raysa, played by John Wenerowicz
Instructor Solian Rixx, played by Mike Smith
Instructor Leal, played by Kelley McKinnon

Instructors gone (4):
Instructor Primini Ster, played by Marvin Sijbinga
Instructor Tirzah, played by Clare Bradley
Instructor T'Pott, played by Bram Peeters
Instructor Jorgahn, played by Jonathan Hardy

==================

Lost Cadets (6):
Cadet William Fraities, played by Chad Gormly
Cadet Korak Haliski, played by Noel Haliski
Cadet Aiden Vasai, played by Jason Baker
Cadet Draven Dark, played by Remy Abram
Cadet Benjamin Knight, played by Anderson Brooks IV
Cadet T'Lira, played by Joe Bouchard

Cadets on Standby(2):
Cadet Michael Borg, played by Michael Borg
Cadet Airika Calhoun, played by Rachel Cruz

==================

New Signups (21):
14 useless, leaves 7 new cadets.

Individual Cadets (6):
Cadet Anastacia V'Rele, played by Jack Katsikaris (Adrian)
Cadet Kelvok, played by Jan-Willem Schuurman Hess (Adrian)
Cadet X'ok PaRel, played by Rick Clogston (David)
Cadet Jesper Banks, played by John Jansen (Bobby)
Cadet Kaosu Hikaru, played by Matthew Baldwin (Bobby)
Cadet Andree Dothan, played by Kenneth Martin (Dennis)

Trainingslist (7):
Cadet Andromeda Lynn, played by Jennifer Madison
Cadet Jah'mney, played by Tom Coates
Cadet Hearst Morgan, played by Chris Alexander
Cadet Shelq Mecroll, played by Brandon Wooten
Cadet Rowan O'Gallager, played by Dawn Johnson
Cadet Jonas Kr'ack, played by Joshua Willerton
Cadet Sean Dempsey, played by Sean Dempsey

Graduates (1):
Cadet Shakaar Tekeny, played by Craig Dannenberg => ACSO Atlantis

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USS CALHOUN / DELTA ONE STATUS REPORT, by Adrian Rodd.
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STARDATE 2391.0405

A revolutionary find on Talax opens up the possibility of expanding
Starfleet exploration to whole new galaxies. Led by a recently arrived new
captain and first officer, the senior staff split into three teams and whisk
themselves through a tiny portal off to mind-bogglingly distant worlds,
where they discover the strange customs of monks, an ethically dubious
personality cult and a four-legged species paranoid of intruders. . .

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STATUS REPORT: USS Odyssey, by Dennis Church.
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Stardate 2391.03.26 and 2391.04.14

While examining life forms on the remote planet Phi Omega IV, a crisis
erupts.  Head Nurse Alvas Kylie is bitten by an infectious animal, which
inserts a foreign substance into her bloodstream; while CMO William Lea does
what he can while placing her under quarantine, the Odyssey rushes at
maximum speed to Starbase 12 to get her condition treated.

However, early in the morning while they are enroute, all the controls on
the bridge are locked out.  XO Dirk Pitt and CEO Paul Velden are rushing to
get to the source of the problem.  At the same time, six Odyssey crew
members-CO Ch’nel Bennek, FO Matuga Denebris, STC Simon Byrne, CONN Travian
Enar, OPS Dacs Helfrump, and ASCO Tashina Reyk are beamed into a holodeck
simulation of the Titanic-they have taken the place of several key crew
members aboard the ship, and now must control its functions.

Are these two problems linked?  Will the Odyssey be able to reach Starbase
12 in time with controls locked out?  Find out next month!

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Valkyrie Status Report, May 2004, by Brandon Allard.
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(] Current Situation [)

Stardate ending 2391.03.16 (Is it official yet? The longest time spent on a
single day?)

The Borg were rebelling and then they weren't. They escaped and then they
were caught. How many times? Who even knows anymore. With the exception of
the visiting ambassador, most activity has been focused on or near sickbay.
Thankfully a new arrival brings a larger support staff for the popular area.
An area destined to become even more popular with the outbreak of an as yet
undiagnosed disease amongst the entire crew. Best case scenario, it will all
turn out to be a dream and things will revert to normal. Worst case, it's
still all a dream but the crew wakes up to find that they are in fact the
crew of Pando- erm... some other station.

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Pandora Station Status Report May 2004, by Bram Peeters and Rob Versteegt.
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(] Current Situation [)

Stardate: 2390.04.24

Mission 7 - Road to Perfection

The Borg-worshipping aliens Kotarrani have been invited to Pandora
Station and they have been talking with some of the crew.
A radiation leak in sickbay is causing problems and engineering is
trying to locate the leak and find out what caused it.


(] Summary, by Rob Versteegt [)

The 7 Kotarrani, known as 1 of 27 (or First) down to 7 of 27, (or
Seventh) arrived in the Observation Lounge. Captain Janssens, Commander
Holmes, Lt.Cmdr Jalando and Ensign Tek (the new ACOUNS) joined them.
During this meeting with these aliens, the Pandora Command Team and
Ensign Tek learned that these Kotarrani desperately want to be like the
Borg in every way they know.

However, because of the differences in social structure between the
Kotarrani and the Pandora people, these conversations almost ended
before they began. Ensign Tek's idea, however, saved the day: he
suggested that, like the Kotarrani, the Pandora crew should follow their
command structure to the letter. At least for now. This put the
Kotarrani more at ease, which Ensign Tek made use of: he began to make
contact with the Seventh, and offered to take her on a tour on his own.
Both the First and Commander Holmes agreed to this.

Captain Janssens walked away from the meeting early on, after having
talked to a yeoman. There seemed to be a message from Starfleet, that he
needed to answer.

After a difficult conversation, Commander Holmes and Lt.Cmdr Jalando
finally made an agreement with the Kotarrani, to show them the station.
However, when they were just on their way, the Fifth suffered from what
seemed to be a malfunctioning implant, and collapsed to the floor. The
First didn't seem to care: he thought it was all planned by the Holified
Ones.

Meanwhile, in sickbay, Ensign Morabulu had found indications of a
radiationleak. CMO Truesdale was the first victim of this leak: she
collapsed to the ground, only to wake up nauseous, and a bit confused.
The race is on to find the exact place of the radiation leak, and seal
it, before more casualties are being reported in...

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Status Report for the U.S.S. Atlantis, May-2004, by Vincent Raposa.
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__________________
Current Mission: U.S.S. Atlantis: "Sphere of Influence"
Current Stardate: 2391.03.28
Current Location: Gamma Quadrant, near the boarder  of
the Draysian Government, and located in a region of
space newly discovered as the "Sphere of Influence".
__________________
Current Situation: It is a stalemate effort on one end
of the rope. A nouse that needs no help in being drawn
accross the neck of an alien vessel known as the
Imperial Merchant Vessel: Kokomo. This vessel is part
of an alien species known as the Furewardo Afutso. The
Kokomo, after being attacked by a pirate vessel, has
become disabled and has lost main power and is running
on below nominal life support.

The crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis has disengaged their
course heading to their primary mission, a nebula that
Starfleet Science Corps. would like investigated,
studied, and recorded (even named); and have adjusted
course to intercept with the coordinates of the
disabled Kokomo after receiving the vessel's distress
call.

It is at this moment that negotiations are under way
to assist the remaining crew of the Kokomo any way the
Atlantis can. Medical departments are standing by to
receive the injured but there is one small problem...a
certain lack in trust.

The crew of the Kokomo, led by a loyal Voice of the
Light Nojoy Megomo, has refused aid from the Atlantis
and has ordered she and her crew out of a region now
known as the Sphere of Influence.

The Atlantis, not wanting to see any harm come to this
vessel or its crew, backs off to show it's
friendlyness and later reestablishes contact where
they are now engaged in a stalemate negotiation.

Lifesupport is failing, and unless the crew of the
Atlantis can turn the tides...all might be lost...and
who but to blame when the Fleet arrives...

...but the Atlantis...
__________________
Other happening's aboard the Atlantis: Ambassador
Diana Von-Klinkerhoffen is running current
negotiations with the assistance of her Attache
Demeterius, while Commander Alfred Torn oversee's
numerous activities. Lieutenant Jaden Trioska has
recently fallen unconcious due to telepathic
instability trying to read Voice of the Light Nojoy
Megomo. She has been taken to Main Sickbay to be
treated. Ensign Kyler Fletcher, the new Assistant
Chief of the CONN, as taken the head of his department
down to the medical facility. Lieutenant Jomorr has
left the bridge to find something to munch on and keep
his wandering mind off of his befallen love, Charlile,
he has left the bridge station in charge of the newly
appointed Assistant Chief of Science, Ensign Shakaar
Tekeny, Mr. Tekeny is in the process of researching
the alien vessel. Lieutenant Commander Nerfertii,
Lieutenant Stalker, and other's are formulating scan's
of the area and the alien vessel in attempts of
creating a back up stratagie in case things go wrong.
And finally, Captain Ellie Charlile has returned to
the bridge and her duties after recovering from a slip
upon a newly waxed floor...her yeoman...about to be
strangled.

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Public Relations Status Report, May 2004, by Rob Versteegt.
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And once again... 21 signups! Let's see how many signups came from where...

3: Surfing the net.
5: A link to FF
9: Google/ another search engine
1: Unknown
3: A friend!

Hmmmm... Lot's of people who google, and/or use another search engine. That
means that if you have a site, please mention how much you enjoy
FrontierFleet, and put a link there. (and make sure Google can find it ;-) )
We could have more signups that way...

Another way for us to get more signups, is by telling all your friends!
(Like Sussie and Jeremy have done already. Well done! ;-) )

And of course, another way is for me to advertise more... so I will.. ;-)

If you have questions, comments, or anything else PR related, please send it
to pr at frontierfleet.com.

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Where No Man Has Gone Before, Part 2: The 1970s. By Bram Peeters.
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The Mariner program: Mariner 8 & 9
==================================

Mariner 8 and 9 were the third and final pair of Mars missions in NASA's
Mariner series of the 1960s and early 1970s. Both were designed to be the
first Mars orbiters, marking a transition in our exploration of the red
planet from flying by the planet to spending time in orbit around it.

Mariner 8 was to map 70% of the Martian surface and Mariner 9 was to study
temporal changes in the Martian atmosphere and on the Martian surface.
Unfortunately, Mariner 8 failed during launch on May 8, 1971. This forced
Mariner 9 to combine the mission objectives of both.

Mariner 9 was launched successfully on May 30, 1971, and became the first
artificial satellite of Mars when it arrived and went into orbit, where it
functioned in Martian orbit for nearly a year. Mariner 9 completed its final
transmission October 27, 1972.

Upon arrival, Mariner 9 observed that a great dust storm was obscuring the
whole globe of the planet. Ground controllers sent commands to the
spacecraft to wait until the storm had abated, the dust had settled, and the
surface was clearly visible before compiling its global mosaic of
high-quality images of the Martian surface. The storm persisted for a month,
but after the dust cleared, Mariner 9 proceeded to reveal a very different
planet than expected -- one that boasted gigantic volcanoes and a grand
canyon stretching 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) across its surface. More
surprisingly, the relics of ancient riverbeds were carved in the landscape
of this seemingly dry and dusty planet. Mariner 9 exceeded all primary
photographic requirements by photomapping 100 percent of the planet's
surface. The spacecraft also provided the first close-up pictures of the two
small, irregular Martian moons: Phobos and Deimos.


Cosmos 419
==========

This launch was intended to be a Mars orbiting mission. It is widely
believed this spacecraft was launched with the primary purpose of overtaking
Mariner 8, which had been launched (unsuccessfully, as it turned out) two
days earlier, and becoming the first Mars orbiter. The spacecraft was
presumably similar to the orbiter section of the later Mars 2 mission, a
cylindrical shaped spacecraft 3 meters high with two solar panels extending
from the sides, two large dish antennae, on top of retro-rockets and fuel
tanks. It carried an instrument to measure solar radiation, which was
supplied by the French.

The spacecraft was successfully put into low Earth parking orbit, but a
failure due to a bad ignition timer setting (the timer, which was supposed
to start ignition 1.5 hours after orbit was erroneously set for 1.5 years)
caused the orbit to decay and the spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere 2
days later on 12 May 1971. The mission was designated Cosmos 419.

Beginning in 1962, the name Cosmos was given to Soviet spacecraft which
remained in Earth orbit, regardless of whether that was their intended final
destination. The designation of this mission as an intended planetary probe
is based on evidence from Soviet and non-Soviet sources and historical
documents. Typically Soviet planetary missions were initially put into an
Earth parking orbit as a launch platform with a rocket engine and attached
probe. The probes were then launched toward their targets with an engine
burn with a duration of roughly 4 minutes. If the engine misfired or the
burn was not completed, the probes would be left in Earth orbit and given a
Cosmos designation.


The Mars probe program: Mars 2 - 7
==================================

In 1971, shortly after Cosmos 419 failed to launch, the Soviet Union
successfully sent Mars 2 and Mars 3, nearly a decade after the launch of
Mars 1, all part of the Mars probe program. The Mars 2 and 3 probes each
carried a lander, both arriving on Mars in 1971. The Mars 2 lander entered
Mars' atmosphere at too steep an angle, causing it to crash, and the Mars 3
lander functioned for only 20 seconds after landing. They were the first
human artifacts to touch down on Mars.

In 1973, the Soviet Union sent four more probes to Mars: the Mars 4 and Mars
5 orbiters and the Mars 6 and Mars 7 orbiter/lander combinations. Of the
four, only Mars 5 succeeded; it transmitted 60 images before suffering a
transmitter failure. Mars 6's lander transmitted data during descent but
failed on impact. Mars 4 and 7 both missed the planet.


Next time
=========

The Viking program: Viking 1 & 2.

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Promotions in May 2004, by Rob Versteegt
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> From Cadet to Ensign:
Cadet Shakaar Tekeny, played by Craig Dannenberg => ACSO Atlantis

And... ehm.. that's it! Not much promotions this month... But that's
probably because everyone is in the middle of a mission.. ;-) Anyway...
congratulations Craig!

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Posting statistics in May 2004, by Rob Versteegt.
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Top 10 posters in Frontierfleet:

10. Dennis Church: 15 (Ody 10, Pan 5)

9. Jeremy Beeler: 15 (Cal 15)

8. Jake Henlon: 15 (Cal 15)

7. Laura Elliot: 19 (Cal 19)

6. Aaron Langston: 24 (Pan 24)

5. Ben Versteegt: 27 (Ody 15, Atly 4, Pan 8)

4. David Susman: 33 (Ody 4, Atly 22, Pan 7)

3. Kelley MacKinnon: 35 (Valk 2, Cal 33)

2. Adrian Rodd: 65 (Ody 1, Atly 11, Valk 9, Pan 17, Cal 27)

AND THE NR 1 POSTER OF JUNE IS...

1. Rob Versteegt: 79 (Ody 5, Atly 24, Valk 11, Pan 36, Cal 3)

Posting stats:

1. Rob Versteegt: 79 (Ody 5, Atly 24, Valk 11, Pan 36, Cal 3)
2. Adrian Rodd: 65 (Ody 1, Atly 11, Valk 9, Pan 17, Cal 27)
3. Kelley MacKinnon: 35 (Valk 2, Cal 33)
4. David Susman: 33 (Ody 4, Atly 22, Pan 7)
5. Ben Versteegt: 27 (Ody 15, Atly 4, Pan 8)
6. Aaron Langston: 24 (Pan 24)
7. Laura Elliot: 19 (Cal 19)
8. Jake Henlon: 15 (Cal 15)
9. Jeremy Beeler: 15 (Cal 15)
10. Dennis Church: 15 (Ody 10, Pan 5)
11. Sussie Andersson: 14 (Ody 5, Pan 9)
12. Chantal Marie Sellers: 14 (Ody 9, Atly 5)
13. Gael Imadd'edine: 13 (Pan 13)
14. Aaron DeLay: 9 (Cal 9)
15. Rob Verlinden: 9 (Ody 9)
16. Alonzo Soban: 8 (Atly 8)
17. Eric Hess: 7 (Cal 7)
18. Martin Miller: 7 (Ody 1, Atly 6)
19. Guido Dorssers: 6 (Ody 6)
20. Wes Buchanan: 6 (Pan 6)
21. Penelope Stubbs: 6 (Pan 6)
22. Dave Church: 5 (Ody 5)
23. Mike Sheinin: 5 (Atly 5)
24. Brandon Allard: 5 (Valk 5)
25. Dreamer Jopnes: 5 (Valk 5)
26. Jonathan Hardy: 4 (Ody 3, Cal 1)
27. Vincent Raposa: 4 (Atly 4)
28. Bram Peeters: 3 (Pan 3)
29. William Lea: 3 (Ody 3)
30. Astrid Henricsson: 3 (Pan 3)
31. Shannon O' Dain: 2 (Ody 2)
32. Jamie Davison: 2 (Atly 2)
33. Craig Dannenberg: 2 (Atly 2)
34. Ann Montague: 2 (Valk 2)
35. Jed Cohen: 2 (Valk 2)
36. Tim Shilakes: 2 (Valk 2)
37. Cody Ferro: 1 (Cal 1)



Top 3 posters on the Ody:
3) Rob Verlinden/Chantal-Marie Sellers, 9 posts
2) Dennis Church, 10 posts
1) Ben Versteegt, 15 posts
Ody posts of the month: 99

Top 3 posters on the Atly:
3) Adrian Rodd: 11 posts.
2) David Susman: 22 posts.
1) Rob Versteegt, 24 posts.
Atly posts of the month: 98

Top 3 posters on the Valk:
3) Brandon Allard / Dreamer Jopnes: 5 posts.
2) Adrian Rodd: 9 posts.
1) Rob Versteegt: 11 posts.
Valk posts of the month: 38

Top 3 posters on Pandora Station:
3) Gael Imaddedine: 13 posts.
2) Aaron Langston: 24 posts.
1) Rob Versteegt: 36 posts.
Pandora posts of the month: 137

Top 3 posters of the Cal:
3) Laura Elliot: 19 posts.
2) Adrian Rodd: 27 posts
1) Kelley MacKinnon: 33 posts
Cal post of the month: 129

Posts per dutystation:
1) Pandora Station: 139 posts, is 27.745% from all posts fleetwide.
2) USS Calhoun: 129 posts, is 25.749% from all posts fleetwide.
3) USS Odyssey: 99 posts is 19.76% from all posts fleetwide.
4) USS Atlantis: 98 posts 19.561% from all posts fleetwide
5) USS Valkyrie: 38 posts, is 7.585% from all posts fleetwide

Fleetwide posts: 501 posts!

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The Study of Departments, part 2: The Badgering Bullies. By Iana Darnena.
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At first look, the Badgering Bullies seem to be just what they are: Bullies,
badgering each other, and others. It doesn't matter which species they come
across: they bully the other so badly, that these Bullies always get what
they want to. It is this amazing ability that had caught the attention of
yours truly. So, upon further observation of these creatures, the following
has been discovered...

It isn't easy to describe in a few words, what the Badgering Bullies are all
about. When you would meet them, you would have to be very careful: if you
would be doing something wrong in the Bully's eyes, then you would be
disposed of. Protesting wouldn't help... they will find a way to persuade
you. Even if you haven't done anything wrong... you are just walking along a
path, which happens to take you into their natural habitat. Even then, they
personally escort you (sometimes with violence) to their nearest controlling
facility. And of course, if these are full, (which happens some times) these
Bullies start to get irritated, and react even more violently, making sure
the message comes across: "We are in charge here."

It would seem that the Badgering Bullies are creatures who like to be in
control. They like to know who is in their habitat, and who isn't... who
looks at something that is theirs, and who isn't. They like to know
everything. This is, besides an admirable quality, also something that works
in their disadvantage. You see, other species don't often like this
aggressive approach. And that is when things get messy.

The Badgering Bullies are in charge in their habitat. No question about
that. If they feel there are intruders, they attack, usually in groups,
sometimes alone. They go in, and find out what is going on. They seem to be
aggressive and violent. As said before, this can both work in their
advantage, as well as in their disadvantage. Non-Bullies have a tendency to
get angry. The Bullies then feel threatened. And if they feel threatened,
they take action. They'll take the intruder (or intruders) to their
controlling room, and put them there... questioning them in their own
strange way. (Lots of pacing around, which is probably a display of power.)
After this 'questioning', and maybe a few days in this room, the intruder is
just being set free. It is believed that the intruder has learned from it's
mistakes, and won't intrude ever again.

However, these Badgering Bullies aren't only full of violence. They also
have a sharp sense of justice. Observations have shown that some of these
Bullies would undergo heavy beating to protect some other creature, maybe
even from another species, even if these Bullies had never seen them.
Somehow, and opinions are divided here, they seem to feel instantly if
someone is to be trusted, or not.

This brings us to the hidden part of the Badgering Bullies. Because they
aren't only filled with violence. They also have a softer side... a side of
them which they don't like to show. It doesn't give them the power they want
so much, or the status they want to achieve. So this softer side is only
shown in secrecy: amongst other Bullies, and/or amongst creatures they
trust. During these 'meetings' they have, when they show their soft side,
emotions come running up to the surface. It's incredible what a Badgering
Bully goes through, by just doing what he is: a Badgering Bully.

The next time you see a Badgering Bully walking around... don't let them
show you are on to their soft side. Don't try to expose that side, because
they would experience it as a loss of power. They would see you as some
creature who wants to enter their domain without permission, and doing
tricks to lure them into a false sense of trust. Because that's also one of
their more negative points: they are paranoid. Well, most of them are. Which
is what makes them excellent Badgering Bullies, but lousy in social contact.

In conclusion: the Badgering Bullies are amongst some of the most
interesting species in this environment. They (reluctantly) share their
habitat with other species, but do react violently if they spot even the
slightest break of their rules. They like to be in control, always wanting
to have the upper hand. However, it is also a fact that they are incredibly
brave, more then once risking their lives for others they hardly know. They
have a softer side, which usually isn't shown...

The Badgering Bullies. Magnificent, powerful, sometimes violent and angry,
but also soft and emotional creatures. In one word: Beautiful. And the best
part is... they can be found anywhere. Go on, study them. But be careful not
to upset them...

For the Federation Tribune, this was Reporter Iana Darnena.
Goodday.
(Written by Rob Versteegt)

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The Alpha Centauri Mystery, Part 12: Defiance. By Ben Versteegt
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Summary: Near Alpha Centauri, precious crystals have been discovered that,
once modified to function as a power source, could tip the balance of power
in the Alpha Quadrant. The Cardassians and Romulans have already tried to
steal it, but they failed. One Cardassian was captured and beamed to a
Federation starship, the USS Aquinas. En-route to a starbase, however, the
Aquinas was attacked by another Federation starship, under command of a
Captain that will go to any length to capture the samples. Having lost the
samples and a crewmember, Ensign Sandra Burke, to the unknown Federation
ship, the Aquinas' crew ponders what to do. Romulans have picked up the
scent of the samples, however, and beam aboard the Aquinas. Captain Ayer
reluctantly decides to help the Romulans find the samples and Sandra. While
they beam aboard the Romulans ship, the Captain realises he may never see
his damaged ship again...

And now the continuation:

On the Bridge of the Romulan warbird materialised nine people: six Romulans,
two humans and a Ferengi. Once the green light of the transporter had dimmed
away, Ayer looked around. This Bridge was different from what he was used
to. Only the bare essentials were present; this Bridge seemed to revolve
around efficiency, not around style. In a way he agreed with that
philosophy; after all, what good would a comfortable chair be in the middle
of a battle? Even more, that comfortable chair would be more likely to be
consumed by flames if the Bridge was on fire.

Another thing Ayer noticed was that this Bridge was darker than a typical
Starfleet Bridge. Not only was there less lighting, but the atmosphere was
darker too. There was the hint of secrecy behind every console, and the
Captain and the other Starfleet people were eyed at with suspicion.

"Captain!" Ayer suddenly heard a voice behind him and he turned around
quickly. Near the turbolift at the back of the Bridge stood Chief Engineer
Zjavick, guarded by two Romulans with rifles.

"Commander, I see they brought you here as well?" Ayer said, not without
surprise.

"Yes sir. Senior officers to the Bridge, I suppose."

"I'm just glad you are alive, Commander Zjavick." the Captain smiled. "Your
section faced the brunt of the shockwave."

Zjavick nodded and swallowed. "I was lucky to survive," he said. "A lot of
the engineers didn't make it." His voice was but a whisper, barely
understandable due to the noise a number of consoles were producing.

"We've lost a lot of good people," agreed Ayer, and his mind drifted to the
expression on the face of Ensign Mill. The way he looked when he died was
enough to make anyone cry out in tears. He shook his head. "But it's time to
move on. We still have another crewmember to save, and our ship to avenge."

"Brave words," interjected the Romulan commander. "But please remember,
Captain, that you are now on *my* ship. You will help us disable the
Federation starship carrying the samples, understood?"

"That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"Captain!" Zjavick exclaimed. "We can't do that, can we? Are we really going
to help them disabling a Federation vessel?" He thought it was the craziest
thing he ever heard his Captain say. Even if the starship they were going to
disable had disabled them first, that didn't make it right. It was still
treason.

"Either we help to disable them, or they do it by themselves," Ayer said in
reply as he gestured towards the Romulans. "And I'd rather we are the ones
who disable them. It would prevent..." he swallowed. "Casualties."

Zjavick understood, but didn't agree with it. "Captain, it's still a
Federation ship that you plan to attack. You can't possibly suggest that we
attack them of our own free will. Yes, the Romulans might find that ship and
start a fight, but that's a Prometheus class vessel out there. Those are
tough ships and you know it."

"They were badly damaged when we blew up our warp core, remember,
Commander?"

Zjavick took a few steps forward, and immediately the two guards that were
assigned to keep him under surveillance followed suit. They kept their
disruptor rifles locked at the Commander, just in case he was about to do
something foolish. "We don't know that," Zjavick replied. "The blast
disabled us too. Our sensors were down, we couldn't scan them. If our
sensors were working, wouldn't you think we'd have detected the Romulans?"

"Hah, never," laughed the Romulan commander. "You couldn't have detected us
if your sensors were fully operational and we were flying right in front of
you!"

"Shut up, will you?" said Ayer angrily as he looked at the Romulan. He then
turned back to Zjavick. "What's your point, commander?" he snapped.

"My point is, *sir*, that there may be an ulterior motive behind your
decision to help the Romulans." There was clear tension between Ayer and
Zjavick, and Watters and Zaag dared not intervene. The Romulan commander
signalled his men to let the two continue this verbal fight. He found this
interesting to watch.

"And what would that be?" Ayer said as he too stepped closer.

"When we were attacked, I thought for sure that there wasn't anyone more
angry at that Federation vessel than me. I guess I was wrong," Zjavick said.
"Admit it, Captain. They hurt us and now you want to hurt them back."

"How dare you say that!" thundered Ayer. "I'm a Starfleet officer and
Captain of a starship! I help these Romulans because I have no choice, not
because I want revenge!"

"You said it yourself!" cried back Zjavick. "You want to avenge the Aquinas!
This isn't about having no choice." Zjavick frantically waved his arms in
the air. "You want to help the Romulans to get even with that ship that
attacked us."

"Is that what you think, Commander?" asked Ayer through his clenched teeth.
"You're wrong. If I had refused to help these Romulans, they would have
killed every single crewmember aboard that ship. By helping these bastards,
I'm preventing lives from being lost."

"Hey hey, no need to get personal," the Romulan commander said, but Ayer and
Zjavick didn't listen to him.

"Is that really the reason?" Zjavick asked rhetorically. "Because I think
you are mad like hell at those people who crippled the Aquinas. I think you
just want to get even."

"That's enough, Commander!"

"I don't think it is," replied Zjavick defiantly. "Don't you realise that by
helping the Romulans you're giving away some of the Federation's most valued
secrets? Shield frequencies, prefix codes, information about their weapon
systems... That could all compromise Starfleet security."

"What Starfleet security?" yelled Ayer. "There is practically no security
left in Starfleet! These Romulans managed to sneak into Federation space and
blow up an outpost on a world in the very centre of the Federation. Hell,
they might even have a whole fleet of cloacked warbirds in orbit of Earth
itself without us detecting them."

The Romulan commander smiled. He knew that Starfleet would probably react in
the same way as Captain Ayer, and that his little incursion into Federation
space would send waves of panic and fear throughout the Federation, and with
it ripples of that fear that would reach the outermost worlds of the
Federation. Those worlds might even leave the Federation after that. In any
case, his incursion could have long-lasting repercussions.

"But that doesn't mean we should just give the Romulans all our secrets!"
Zjavick yelled back.

"I have made my decision," Ayer said. "The choice was this: either we help
the Romulans and risk handing over secrets to them, or we would have stayed
on the Aquinas and let the Romulans kill every one aboard that ship. In my
opinion, the former is preferable. Do you think I should let those people
get killed, just because I don't want the Romulans to know what kind of
weapons a Prometheus class ship has? Their intelligence organisation has
probably acquired that information already."

"You're quite right, Captain," the Romulan commander said. "Now, if you
don't mind, could you please provide us with a way to trace masked warp
trails left by a Federation ship? We're having trouble pinpointing the exact
co-ordinates to which they lead. It seems that this particular Starfleet
ship has used some kind of technique to mask their warp trail, so I need
your help, Captain." He smiled. "After all, you're probably familiar with
the Starfleet way of masking one's warp trail."

"Just give me a station and I'll unmask that trail for you."

"Fair enough." The Romulan pointed at a station and Ayer walked towards it.

"No!" yelled Zjavick. "Captain, please reconsider. You're giving the
Romulans exactly what they need to know to locate the warp trails of every
Federation starship!"

Ayer halted for a brief moment, but walked towards the console again.

"No..." Zjavick said again. "I can't let you do this!" Acting on impulse, he
stormed towards his Captain and crashed into his back, making him fall on
the ground. Ayer turned around quickly and countered with a fist in
Zjavick's face. He added a kick that made Zjavick roll off him and onto the
floor.

The Engineer quickly got up, and so did the Captain. Both looked each other
in the eyes for just a moment, both getting ready to act in an instant. It
was Zjavick who acted first. His fist swung to hit Ayer's face, but the
Captain blocked it and punched Zjavick in the nose again. The Engineer
stumbled back a few steps, but quickly reacted by storming forward once
again. He evaded the Captain's right arm that had swung to hit him, and
planted an elbow in the Captain's face. This time it was the latter that
took a few steps back, trying to recover.

Zjavick didn't wait for Ayer to recover, and jumped towards his Captain.
Ayer looked up and saw the Chief Engineer coming towards him. There wasn't
any time left to react, so he braced himself. At the time that he expected
to be knocked out cold, he heard a disruptor rifle fire, followed by a
scream and a dull thud on the metallic floor. He opened his eyes and saw
that Zjavick lay motionless on the floor. A Romulan guard had shot Zjavick.

Quickly, he kneeled down besides his Chief Engineer and felt his pulse.

"Don't worry Captain, he's just stunned," said the Romulan commander with a
smile. "We may need him later. Now please, show us how to detect the warp
trail."

"You shot him!" was all that Ayer could say. Although he was stunned and
would therefore eventually regain consciousness, Ayer didn't like it at all
that one of his crew was shot down. "You shot him!" he said again.

"Regrettable, but necessary. Please, Captain." The Romulan seemed to be in a
hurry. "The warp trail, please. We need to follow it before it has
dissipated."

"You shoot my crew and you expect me to help you?" Ayer asked defiantly. He
stood up and looked at the Romulan who was in command of this warbird. "I
won't do it. You can beam us back to our ship if you want, but I won't help
you. It seems you're having trouble finding that ship anyway, so if I don't
help you, you won't be able to execute your threat of killing every
crewmember on board that starship."

"Captain... You wouldn't want to back out of our deal, now would you?" The
Romulan commander nodded to a guard, who raised his disruptor and aimed it
at Zaag and Watters. "This guard here is a little inexperienced," the
commander told Ayer with the sneaky smile of a victor. "He may not know the
difference between stun and kill. I'd hate to find out that he mixed up the
two settings." He paused and let Ayer take in this new threat. "I don't want
to give the order to fire... But I will if you don't co-operate."

Ayer gulped and looked at Zaag and Watters. He didn't want any more people
to die today. He would do anything to prevent any more lives from being
lost. Finally, he looked at the Romulan commander. Both knew that the
Romulans were in command here and that Ayer would have no choice but to
comply.

"The warp trail, Captain?"

Ayer nodded almost unnoticeably, and set to work. "I'm recalibrating your
sensors to pick up the warp trail." He was finished less than a moment
later. "You should be seeing the warp trail on your sensors now," he said in
a soft and defeated voice.

The Romulan commander checked the readings. "Excellent." A broad smile
showed up on his face. "Thank you, Captain. We appreciate this." He turned
to the Romulan at the helm station. "Helm, lay in a course for these
co-ordinates. Maximum warp." He then looked over to Ayer again, a sparkle
apparent in the Romulan's eyes. He wanted Ayer to show who had won.

"Engage."

To Be Continued...
==========