The Federation Tribune - February 2008
Chief Editor Frontier Fleet
chiefeditor at frontierfleet.com
Mon Feb 18 22:40:18 CET 2008
==== The Federation Tribune ====
==== February 2008====
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Chief Editor's Notes:
By Rob Verlinden
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Yes, you are reading correctly. This is the new issue of the Federation Tribune.
It's packed with reports from last month and the full posting statistics. We've
got a not-so-old legendary post and an interview with Chief Instructor Sedaq.
Have fun reading it! And, since we need new players: the PR-officer wants to
remind you to vote for us in top lists!
Sponsored link:
http://www.frontierfleet.com/comm/vote
In this issue:
USS Calhoun Status Report, January 2008. By Adrien Rodd.
USS Odyssey Status Report, January 2008. By Rob Versteegt.
USS Valkyrie Status Report, January 2008. By Rick Clogston.
USS Atlantis Status Report, January 2008. By Merijn Donders & Ben Versteegt.
SF Academy Status Report, January 2008. By Rick Clogston.
Public Relations Status Report, January 2008. By Rob Verlinden.
New Players / Promotions / Leaving Players, January 2008. By Rob Verlinden.
Posting Statistics January 2008. By Rob Verlinden.
Legendary Post. By Rob Verlinden.
Les Interviews, Part Deux. By Rick Clogston.
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USS Calhoun Status Report
January 2008
By Adrien Rodd
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STARDATE: 2394.02.05
EPISODE: #31, "The Relief of Becker IV" (2.05)
LOCATION: near Starbase 64, on the edge of Federation space
A xenophobic faction has seized control on the neutral world of Becker IV,
and has laid siege to alien embassies. The four major regional
powers -Federation, Cardassians, Klingons and Romulans- have decided to pool
their efforts and work together for what promises to be a high-risk,
unpredictable rescue mission. And the Calhoun must provide the multinational
fleet's security. . .
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USS Odyssey Status Report
January 2008
By Rob Versteegt
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Mission # 17: "Only Time Will Tell"
Stardate: 2443.09.03 (50 years in the future)
Location: In orbit around Earth.
The plot by Captain Velden and Commodore Denebris to blow up the Odyssey
failed for two reasons. One: Captain Velden's moral discomfort. Two: Former
Captain X'ok PaRel. The latter died while fighting Commodore Denebris, who
was killed in this battle as well. Captain Velden decided that blowing up
the Odyssey was wrong, and left. . . leaving behind a mystery for the
Telemachos' Security personnel.
Meanwhile, the fact that the Odyssey had less than an hour left here in
the future, with their future selves and those they loved, began to dawn on
the crews of both the Odyssey, and the Telemachos. Only an hour to say
goodbye. To share a lifetime of stories. To solve conflicts which had been
going on forever. To say that they loved each other, and would always love
each other. . . even if Oblivion itself would come down upon those who left
behind. For it would, most likely. There was the distinct possibility that
in less than an hour, after the Odyssey returned to their own time. . .
this timeline, and everyone in it, would cease to exist.
Just when everything was settled, goodbyes were said and the Odyssey crew
was ready to go home. . . the unthinkable happened. Transwarp apertures
opened, and in less than a few minutes, several Transwarp ships started
attacking Earth's defence force. The last few minutes here in the future
could mean the last of the Odyssey crew. . . with the temporal rift in the
process of being opened, will the Odyssey hold on long enough to survive. .
. or will they join their future versions in oblivion?
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USS Valkyrie Status Report
January 2008
By Rick Clogston
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The Valkyrie is still somewhere near Pandora Station, in tri-vector assault mode
and ready for battle. Surprisingly, the Captain of the Rak'hari ship, the Hidden
Warrior, has beamed aboard the Alpha section and has been talking with Captain
Denebris about the possibility of defecting, and maybe even bringing his vessel
as well.
It turns out that the Hidden Warrior, a huge, heavily armed ship, was designed
to help aleviate the overcrowded conditions on Rak'har. The idea is that the HW
would locate an isolated colony, take it over, and transplant their own
population. The ship would then be used to police the area. When Captain Marden
found out what his new command had been built for, he decided that his
government had gone too far. At the risk of his life, his family's life, and
those of his crew and their families, he has made this bold move.
That problem was difficult enough before a fleet from the Rak'hari government
Inquisitors came to either take or destroy the Hidden Warrior. The three
sections of the Valkyrie are now locked in a pitched battle with these
Inquisitors' ships, fighting not just for posession of the Hidden Warrior, but
for their very lives.
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USS Atlantis Status Report
January 2008
By Merijn Donders & Ben Versteegt
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- 2393.12.06
Location of the (crew of the) USS Atlantis:
- In orbit of planet Tui Malila, in the Gamma Quadrant.
In an attempt to establish communications with the colonists, Commander
Velden, Lt. Pilkington and ensign Satomi have taken the Gamma Flyer into
orbit of Tui Malila. Unfortunately the colonists' scattering field was too
intense for communicating and the away team took Gamma Flyer Borhyas
further into the planets atmosphere. What or who will they encounter in
their mission? Will they be considered a threat?
During the Atlantis' attempts to communicate the colonists are attempting
to keep their scattering field in place in the fear of being beamed off the
planet against their will. A group of three colonists went to repair the
third generator to ensure enough power for their plan. The generator's
damage however was strange and was definitely not an accident. But how did
this happen?
Meanwhile a few miners had disappeared and the miners are getting together
a 'rescue' party. The leader of the miners ordered the search party to be
armed and be on the look out for potential enemies. Will they be taking the
next step and scale up this conflict?
Finally, several Atlantis' crewmembers have embarked on a mission to one
of Tui Malila's moons to investigate strange readings coming from one of
the moon's many craters. Will their discovery shock the scientific
community, or will an even bigger shock befall the intrepid team?
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Starfleet Academy Status Report
January 2008
By Rick Clogston
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Two thousand and eight! That's a year I used to expect to see only in science
fiction. Now, we're living in it. In fact, we even have a few players in our
game who have a hard time remembering years that started with a 1. Even with
all this progress, it's nice to know that Star Trek, which came into being about
the same time as the Gemini space flights, Graham Hill's second World
Championship, China going nuclear, and John going Yoko, is still around.
One of the things I've always liked about Star Trek, in all of its incarnations,
is the quality of the writing. It was always one of the best written shows on
television, and nothing on the air comes close to it today. I think that
Frontier Fleet has done a marvelous job of maintaining that high standard. I'm
especially encouraged by the quality of the most recent round of new recruits.
We had 10 new sign-ups this month, and not one of them was rejected without at
least giving them a shot.
By the way, this also speaks well of our new publicity director, Rob Verlinden.
He is doing a fine job of getting the word out about FF, and is living up to the
high standards set by his long-time predecessor, Rob Versteegt.
Anyway, a status report is supposed to be about statistics, so here's some.
We currently have 13 cadets undergoing training at Starfleet Academy. They
are listed as follows:
[Cadet's name (Species) - played by - instructor]
Keiri Rojineko (Human) - Allen Jackson - Ann
Brek (Ferengi) - Mark Wh - Blayne
Killian Thanatos Malachi (Betazed) - Robert Bolton - Blayne
Skan Kvar (Mevavarian) - Daniel Junkin - Adrian
Polean Drenden (Human) - Polean Drenden - Adrian
Hidek Dukala'i (Valakian) - M. Planck - David
- currently unassigned:
T'Aka Sheng (Vulcan 75% / Human 25 %) - Acrylle Rees
Akeeta Adams (Human) - Farida Jalal
Emrys Nivek (Human) - Kevin DeArman
Jake Xavier Riley (Human) - Matt Fields
Seth Fury (Human) - Tony D'Imperio
Kathryn Rose (Human) - Kate Crockett
Madeleine Setar (Betazoid) - Emily Pesicka
We are quite proud of having two graduates this month:
Ensign V'toth (Vulcan) - Maximillion Orion - ACSO, USS Calhoun
Ensign Donald Gee (Human) - James Yee - AOPS, USS Odyssey
Sadly, we also had three cadets who washed out for various reasons:
Cole Hunter (Human) - Keiran Seville
Aalina Juliette Sumner (Terran) - Sandi Richardson
Elijah Parker (Human) - Vinnie Raposa
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Public Relations Status Report
January 2008
By Rob Verlinden
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Hello people,
The last two months I have concentrated on getting subscriptions on as many top
lists as possible. The result is to be seen at:
http://www.frontierfleet.com/comm/vote . If you have a bit of time, please just
click on one or more of the links. Once a week is already a great help. On
several sites we have a fairly low rank, because we have just become a member.
We hope people will see our banner in the toplists and join our game.
The last 2 months we had lots of signups (21). Rick, the AcadCM, seems to blame
me for that. However, most credit goes to him for training the cadets.
Also if we look at the statistics on how they found us, it's not my adverts that
work directly. But some of them may have worked indirectly :-)
Found us with a search engine (mostly Google): 12
Found us with ask.com: 1
Someone recommended it: 2
Old / existing member: 2
Just browsing / by accident: 3
Not given: 1
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New Players / Promotions / Leaving Players
January 2008
By Rob Verlinden
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First, congratulations to our newly graduated Ensigns:
Ensign Donald Gee - James Yee - AOPS, USS Odyssey
Ensign V'toth - Maximillion Orion - ACSO, USS Calhoun
Secondly there are a few old players returning to Frontier Fleet. Welcome back!
William Raymer returns as ACOUNS Ensign Kirsten Oliver on the USS Calhoun
Kate Crockett returns as ACOUNS Ensign Kathryn Rose on the USS Valkyrie
There is also a player that left Frontier Fleet last month:
Jake Hanlon, playing FO Lorvok on the USS Odyssey has left.
So long, Jake and thanks for all the....posts.
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Posting Statistics
January 2008
By Rob Verlinden
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Calhoun players (9, active 8):
Adrian Rodd 31 (Cal 28, Ody 3)
Kelley MacKinnon 15 (Cal 13, Ody 2)
Laura Elliot 5
Mark O'Bannon 21
Benjamin Ditch 32
Maxamillion Orion 4
William Raymer 1
Kelly Weldon 1
USS Odyssey players (8, active 6):
Rob Versteegt 11 (Ody 8, Atly 3)
Martin Miller 2
Daniel Balding 1
James Jackson 6
Rob Verlinden 5
Jim Yee 1
USS Valkyrie players (11, active 8):
Dennis Church 7 (Valk 6, Ody 1)
Rick Clogston 9 (Valk 7, Ody 2)
Blayne Welsh 11
Ruben Hilbers 26 (Valk 5, Cal 21)
Kelly Power 3
Melissa McIntire 1
Don Draper 1
USS Atlantis players (8, active 8):
David Susman 37 (Atly 32, Ody 4, Panda 1)
Ben Versteegt 8 (Atly 7, Ody 1)
Bram Peeters 11
Patrick Buidin 15
Sasa Gerbus 1
Dawn Johnson 6
Merijn Donders 25
Chantal Sellers 6
Top posters January 2008:
1. David Susman 37
2. Benjamin Ditch 32
3. Adrian Rodd 31
Dutystations:
1. Calhoun 126
2. Atlantis 106
3. Valkyrie 34
3. Odyssey 34
5. Pandora 1
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Legendary Post
By Rob Verlinden
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The legendary post is normally a post from some time ago. However, this month
it's a very recent post, but a very good one nevertheless. I think it will stand
out in Frontier Fleet history, because of the unique setting. It was written
during the latest Odyssey mission, in which the USS Odyssey is transported 50
years ahead in time. A long war has changed the characters of all head figures
of the Frontier Fleet. But are Matuga Denebris, Paul Velden and X'ok Parel
truly prepared to destroy the Odyssey to prevent the bloody war from
happening??
Subject line: Commodore Matuga Denebris, Captain Paul Velden and X'ok PaRel
(USS Telemachos - Matuga's Guest Quarters - 2443.09.03, 2008)
With the battle done (Matuga's role having been minimal), he knew the
time was right. Engineers were focused on repairs, and he could
now...do what he had to do. With Velden's help, they would make the
final modifications necessary to the device to ensure the Odyssey's
destruction.
"Denebris to Velden."
=/\= Velden here, =/\= the elderly Captain replied. He sounded tired,
like he had been running a marathon. In actuality, Captain Velden had,
for the past hour or so, been up in the deflector control room of the
Telemachos, making preparations. He hadn't done any real
grease-monkeying in years, and he wasn't used to the hard work
anymore. =/\= What do you want? =/\=
"It's time to meet to do what we talked about earlier. Meet me where
we agreed in twenty minutes."
A deep, wary sigh was heard over the open channel. Paul had been
dreading this moment. =/\= All right. Twenty minutes. I'll be there.
=/\= A pause followed. A couple of times in a couple of seconds,
Velden drew in a breath to speak, but remained silent, as if he didn't
quite know how to phrase his thoughts. After a few seconds, all he
said was, =/\= Velden out. =/\=
With the task done, Matuga headed to the cargo bay, where the device
was behind held. Soon, they would correct the mistakes of the past -
of his past - and create a better time for all. Sure, he was
condemning the crew of the Odyssey to their deaths. It was a mistake
he had made far too often already. At least now, he would be bringing
it all to an end.
(USS Odyssey - Corridor outside Sickbay - 2443.09.03, 2008)
X'ok was still a little groggy from having been stunned. He found it
hard to believe that his old Academy roommate would actually do it.
Then again, he had to know that there was no way he would ever go
along with the Trill's mad plan. Stow away to fifty years in the past?
Good grief, it had been rough enough to live through once.
Of course, he understood the man's motivation. The universe they knew
was crashing down around them. As casual as his attitude toward death
was, he still wasn't exactly in a hurry to try it. At any rate, Pol
had played his card too early, got disarmed, and was dragged kicking
and screaming in a most unseemly manner to the Telemacho's brig. X'ok
promised that he'd get off the Odyssey in time, but there was one
person he wanted to touch base with before the Transwarp Aliens made
their final assault.
"Computer," he barked. "Locate Commodore Denebris."
(USS Telemachos - Cargo Bay 1 - 2443.09.03, 2016)
He was not an engineer, and far removed from his days of crawling
through ducts to fix weapons systems and searching for intruders. One
would never have been able to tell that from the economy and precision
of Matuga's movements on the device's main console, removing the
safeties, overrides, and alarms so that Velden could eventually come
in and finish the job. Nobody but him was in the cargo bay, as almost
all of the crew was now busy with repairs, and Matuga had snarled off
the lone technician who had been on duty.
To do what had to be done - it was a heavy burden, but Matuga was
willing to carry it. With a sigh, he saw that the last override had
been entered, and that his encryption sequence was now performing. He
stepped back from the console, satisfied that the job was done, but
gaining no satisfaction from it. No alarm would sound on the
Telemachos, no records would be made of the duration of Matuga and
Velden's visit, and nobody would ever know the device had been
sabotaged. Even the crew of the Odyssey would suspect nothing - in
fact, they would feel nothing, as their ship's warp coils overloaded.
They would feel nothing. Just like Matuga did now.
With a start, Matuga heard the doors open behind him, and he turned
slowly - not expecting Velden to be early, and wanting to be able to
send away whoever was there. Unfortunately, the person who he saw was
someone whom Matuga had never been able to send away.
X'ok actually smiled when he saw his old Captain. He knew he had
misjudged the old soldier's intentions. He wasn't here to fit the
Telemachos with a doomsday weapon after all. In all, it was a pretty
benign reason; to change the past from the past. Like Pol Timmel, he
questioned whether or not Captain Jalando would actually be able to
convince Starfleet to give up transwarp, but it was their best hope.
And, their last one.
"Hi, boss," the Klingon/Vulcan said. "Just wanted to apologize for .
.. well, for being a little off the wall when we spoke before."
"X'ok." stated Matuga. "I'm..." Surprised almost slipped out, but
Matuga knew that admitting surprise was weakness, so he covered
quickly, "...alarmed to see you here. I'm a little busy at the moment,
and you're not authorized to be here."
"Oh, I'm sorry," X'ok said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Of
course, in a couple of hours the whole Sol system's liable to be
converted into a new nebula, so I promise not to sell what I see to
the Ferengi." Getting no laugh, he peered into the area that Denebris
was working on. He didn't fully understand what he was seeing, but
something didn't look quite right. "By the way . . . just what are you
doing?"
"I'm ensuring the device was not damaged during the attack. As the
representative of Starfleet Intelligence, it is my prerogative." He
almost smiled, but he couldn't manage it. "I could stop by later, if
you want."
And with that, Matuga made his first - and last - mistake. Even as he
said it, he knew that X'ok would pick up on the statement - and that
this Matuga never offered to help anyone.
He was saying it to get X'ok out of there. Which meant that X'ok would stay.
A chill went down the old scientist's spine. If there'd been a
Betazoid in the room, he'd have lit up like a Christmas tree. X'ok
tried to keep his body relaxed, but something was radically wrong.
"Actually, I don't think I'll have time later," he said; calmly, he
hoped. "So . . . how's it look?" he asked, taking another long look.
"Any damage?"
This time, Matuga smiled. And, he tapped a button on the device's
console - which locked the cargo bay doors.
"Let's put it this way. You should be glad you left the Odyssey, X'ok.
After all," started Matuga, as he took a couple of steps to his right.
"I would have hated for you to die with them."
X'ok let out a long sigh. "For cryin' out loud, boss, what good is
that going to do? It doesn't make any sense! If they die, how can
they . . ." And then he saw it. Words wouldn't convince Starfleet, but
a catastrophic accident just might.
X'ok PaRel looked down at the floor, slowly shaking his head. More
death. More destruction. Where would it end?
"Okay, I get it," he said softly, slowly. He didn't dare raise his
head and let his old Captain look him in the eyes. His best chance
would be to get close enough to give the old man a neck pinch. Then,
he would have to figure out what changes Denebris had made. "It sucks,
but I get it. I'm in."
With a wariness he had possessed ever since the deaths of his wife and
sister, Matuga eyed PaRel like someone with a live grenade. They were
lying to each other now, and they both knew it. But the game still had
to be played. After all, what self-respecting warrior would fight
without a little deception?
"You're 'in', X'ok?" he asked. "That's funny - I don't recall asking
for your help. If you really want to help, you can turn around and
forget you were ever here."
"Hey, Boss," Matuga's former First Officer said with a smile and a
shrug. "You know I can't let you go in harm's way without back-up. You
know when the chips are down you can always trust me."
"I see." replied Matuga, matching X'ok's paces backwards as best he
could, even as PaRel got closer to him. "I hope you'll understand if I
don't take your word on that." His hand started for his knife hidden
on his person, but he saw the move formed in PaRel's mind before he
did it; he was about to give a nerve pinch to Matuga.
So instead his arm flashed up to block his adversary's attack.
~I thought Humans were supposed to slow down as they got older,~ X'ok
thought. His one chance to end it quickly and quietly gone, it was
going to end up a fight. He lunged at the old man.
In response, Matuga spun away, drawing his knife as he did so. "I
can't let you leave here alive, X'ok." His eyes met the other man's,
and for a moment he was taken back to his younger days where he'd spar
with his first officer all of the time, but this dance was far
different from the exercise the two had formerly shared. "You know too
much about what I'm doing, and yet too little to comprehend that
destroying the Odyssey is what must be done to save the Federation."
"I'm sorry, but your logic escapes me," X'ok said. "I remember when we
used to save people by saving them. When did killing everybody
become the best solution?"
He sliced to his right, and ducked a blow from PaRel. "Jalando cannot
be convinced. Words cannot work to stem the tide of mindless death and
destruction these aliens have inflicted upon us. If the lives of the
crew of the Odyssey must be sacrificed to ensure a better future for
our universe, then so be it."
Matuga met PaRel's gaze hauntingly. "And if it must be me who
determines who has to live and who has to die, I can and I will!"
X'ok was more interested in the knife than anything his old Captain
had to say. The man he knew back on the Valkyrie, the man who'd stood
up for him at his General Courts Martial, was long gone.
Unfortunately, the most dangerous parts of him were still left.
X'ok tried an old judo move, a low round kick, to try and get Matuga
off his feet, but the old man leapt out of the way with an agility
that belied his age. PaRel knew he'd have his best chance if he got
his Captain to come to the attack, but there wasn't a lot of time to
waste. He took a chance and charged in, fists swinging.
It was a mistake. He felt the blade slide into his torso, and a
powerful hand pushed him back. He looked; he had stunned Denebris with
a blow. With a howl, X'ok charged in and punched him, hard. He felt
bones crack, and with eyes wide the old Human sunk to the floor. X'ok
was enraged enough to finish him off, but the knife was having its way
with him. A wave of deep fatigue overtook him, and he fell.
Matuga watched PaRel charge, and laughed at the foolishness of the
move. He easily dodged and slid the knife into PaRel's midsection,
near the man's heart. PaRel would be dead within minutes due to blood
loss, and he had safely dodged his enemy's attack.
At least, he thought he'd dodged it. He heard a crack, and then his
strength fled from him, and he tumbled to the floor, away from PaRel.
Another bone crunched when he hit the ground - now his hip was broken
as well, and he was stuck barely a metre away from his adversary, with
neither of them able to make the next move.
Silently, X'ok cursed his Vulcan genes. If he'd been fully Klingon,
the knife might not even have broken his skin. He had the redundant
organs, the reinforced skelatal structure, but the thin Vulcan skin
and placement of his internals. Matuga had picked the best possible
place to stick the knife. He looked at his old Captain, moaning on the
floor. Then he rolled over and saw, for the first time, that they were
not alone. It took a second to realize who it was.
"Paul . . ."
Paul Velden stood, wide-eyed, in the door opening, trying and failing
to come to terms with what had been happening before his very eyes. He
had finished the modifications in the deflector control room and had
arrived at the cargo bay a little early, expecting to find Commodore
Denebris hard at work disabling security protocols.
Instead, he had walked in on Matuga Denebris and a man he knew to be
Captain PaRel trying to kill each other. He had heard the cold words,
the half-hearted attempts at deception and the petty bickering that
the two had shared. Unable to move at the shocking sight of these two
enemies locked in deadly combat, he had witnessed, aghast, how Matuga
slid a knife between the other man's ribs. Surprisingly, he found he
didn't feel a thing when he saw his old friend Matuga Denebris slump
to the floor. The only thought that went through his mind as he
watched Matuga's inability to block PaRel's final attack, was,
~Matuga's getting slow in his old age.~
Matuga looked at his midsection, and saw that PaRel had broken a few
ribs - and that one of the shattered ribs had severed an artery of his
own. He saw blood coming out of a wound, and it was dark - which meant
his time, too, was growing short. He heard PaRel say something, and
then caught out of the corner of his eyes - it was Paul.
~This can still work, then.~ thought Matuga. He propped himself up
against a cargo canister to keep his back straight, but the blood
continued to flow from his chest, his hand clasped tightly against it.
Paul blinked a few times and finally came to his senses. He chided
himself for his surprise -- he had learned long ago that he shouldn't
be surprised at anything if Denebris was involved.
His hand went to his communicator. "Velden to Sickb-" he began, but
stopped mid-sentence. If Sickbay was contacted, there'd be questions
to answer. He'd have to explain what he was doing in the cargo bay
where the time travel device was stored. Security would keep a
watchful eye on the device from then on, making it more difficult for
Paul to gain entry to it and modify it to destroy the Odyssey. "Cancel
that call," he told the computer.
With that, he stepped over the still conscious body of PaRel and
around Denebris, and knelt down to examine the already exposed inner
circuitry of the time travel device. "I see you haven't finished the
job yet, Matuga," he announced.
In response, the other man coughed, and blood came out. "I gave you
what you need. All the security protocols are disabled and will
reactivate on your command." He met the other man's gaze with
difficulty. "You can still do what needs to be done, Paul." He tried
to drag himself closer, but felt the pain shoot up through his body,
and gave up quickly - he was now a couple of metres away from PaRel.
Paul smiled faintly at the difficulty which with Denebris spoke.
Matuga's decision, years ago, to throw away the lives of the Atlantis
crew on some pointless skirmish, had set bad blood between the two
former friends. Now, Paul couldn't help but feel Matuga got what he
deserved.
"I most certainly can," he told both him and PaRel. "It's just a
matter of connecting the device to the deflector dish and programming
it to send out a distortion field. I can have it ready for you within
the hour."
"You don't really want to do that, though, do you?" X'ok asked. Things
were starting to grow fuzzy around the edges. Surprisingly, there was
little pain where the knife entered his body. It was a kindness that
his central nervous system had given him. Green blood oozed out the
opening; a deep, rich, heavily-oxygenated green. ~Ah, a lung, and
possibly the heart,~ he thought dispassionately. He turned with a
smile to Captain Velden. "Haven't enough people died already?"
"The thing is..." He turned around to face Matuga, and glanced at
PaRel now and then. Restrained fury gleamed in Paul's eyes. Matuga was
down, and he made too tempting a target to ignore. "You told me I was
making the right choice by helping you. Destroying the Odyssey... You
told me it's the right thing to do. A small price to pay for the
greater good." He leaned in closer. "The thing is, Commodore, that
your definition of the greater good is more than a little foggy." He
couldn't contain his anger anymore. "You sacrificed the Atlantis for
the 'greater good', Matuga. You sent those people... my friends... you
sent them to their deaths! To think I almost helped you kill more of
my friends... I won't do it. You hear me, Matuga, I won't do it!"
In response, Matuga glared at him as if anger alone would change his
mind. He was stunned at Paul's betrayal, and more then a little
surprised. ~I did not evaluate him well enough, it seems.~ "You're
making a mistake, Paul." he said again, and then coughed - he was
having difficulty breathing now, and had to breathe more then twice as
often just to stay conscious.
Ignoring Matuga's plea, Paul started to walk away from the device. He
was about to kneel down next to Captain PaRel to get him to the
Sickbay, when Denebris' words hit him like a comet crashing into a
ship.
"He will die, Paul. You can't save him. And unless you help me, his
death, just like all of the deaths in this accursed war...will be for
nothing." he sputtered. "Just like the Atlantis."
Paul turned around, his eyes narrowed, his lips thinned to a line.
"What did you say?"
Matuga shut his eyes now - the pain was getting to be unbearable, the
room a blurry mess - but, for a moment, it felt like he could speak
like his old self. "You have a choice to make. You can be selfish, and
choose to be the arbiter of what is fair and just in an unfair
universe...." But he was interupted by PaRel, and stopped when he saw
Velden's attention was on him - the other man didn't have long now.
X'ok was almost unconscious from blood loss, but as Velden walked by
he grabbed the man's leg. "Paul . . ." he said trying to focus one
more time on the man's face. "Don't listen to him, Paul. You're . . .
you're doing the right thing. Let them live, Paul. Life is always
better than death." He let go of the leg and closed his eyes. " . . .
Always . . ."
On the floor, dark, green blood was oozing its way around Paul's
boots, and the Captain felt sick to his stomach. PaRel's last words
echoed through his mind as if he was still speaking them, and images
of the deaths of his friends on the Odyssey haunted his thoughts. Paul
had a chance to change the past, to set things right... He had an
opportunity to prevent the deaths of his children... But it would mean
sending the Odyssey crew to their violent deaths. He racked his mind
to say something profound, feeling that he needed to honour X'ok PaRel
now that he was gone. But no words came from his throat, which felt
like someone had squeezed it tight.
Matuga snarled in response, feeling nothing at PaRel's death, and
coughed up blood again. "Who was it who made you the judge of what is
right and what is wrong? Who made you the keeper of morals? This is
war. People die. People have to in order to win!" He clasped his
eyes shut again, the pain unbearable, and he could no longer focus
squarely on Velden's face; only the man himself. "Can you not see
that, Paul?" He coughed again, and with unbearable effort, made his
next sentence a complete one, barely above a whisper. "The
Odyssey...must be destroyed."
Paul moved a little closer to his old friend, circumventing a growing
puddle of red blood that seeped slowly across the cargo bay floor.
"No, Matuga," he said softly, and bit his lip. He placed his hand on
Matuga's, but doubted if his former mentor could feel the touch at
all. He shook his head. "I can't... I can't destroy the Odyssey. Not
even... to prevent my own children from dying." He clasped Matuga's
hand tightly in both his hands now and blinked in vain to keep away
the tears that were starting to roll down his cheeks. Paul knew that
destroying the Odyssey was for the best, but he just couldn't bring
himself to killing people who, in another time, had been his friends.
"I wish I could... I wish I was that heartless, Matuga, I'm sorry..."
"Then...we'll have d...died...f..f...for...." But even as his mouth
formed the final words, the blackness came to Matuga one last time,
and his eyes closed firmly, his head dipped down, having breathed his
last.
Paul had never felt so alone. He couldn't bear the silence that ensued
now that both PaRel and Denebris had died. Nausea threatening to
overwhelm him, Paul watched as Matuga's dark, red blood blended on the
cargo bay floor with PaRel's. The cold, bright lights overhead
reflected eerily in the black liquid below. Paul stood up and swayed
on his feet, never taking his eyes off Matuga's face.
"I'm sorry," he said, his croaky voice barely more than a whisper. He
closed his eyes and willed himself to speak louder, this time
addressing the computer. "Reactivate security protocols," he spat out.
Paul heard the humming of systems activating from within the time
travel device, and knew that he had just ended his one chance to
modify the device, destroy the Odyssey and change the past.
He drew himself up, and, without a last glance at the bodies of PaRel
and Denebris, marched forcefully out of the cargo bay.
As the doors closed behind him, a frightful thought came to him: it
wasn't at all beyond the realm of possibilities that he had just,
single-handedly, sealed the Federation's fate... and laid to waste all
hope for a better future.
(Reply None)
(Posted by Dennis Church, Richard Clogston, and Ben Versteegt)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Les Interviews, Part Deux.
By Rick Clogston.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, Federation Tribune Special Correspondent Tevist B'lyr will speak with
one of Starfleet's unsung heroes; the Chief Instructor of Starfleet Academy,
Commander Sedaq. Known far and wide as "The Smiling Vulcan," Sedaq is
currently the longest-serving member of the faculty. In fact, he is one of
the longest serving in the history of Starfleet Academy. It is assumed that
Academy instructors are quickly forgotten once a cadet graduates, but the
fact is that Sedaq has probably had more influence on Starfleet as it exists
today than any single person currently serving under the Federation flag.
TB: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me today, Commander.
Sedaq: That's a slight exaggeration. Well, a huge exaggeration. What you've
just said. But you're welcome.
TB: As Chief Instructor at Starfleet Academy, do you still have time to be
a personal instructor for cadets?
Sedaq: Yes, of course. It's the most important part of the job. Every cadet
is an individual, and should be instructed as such. Of course, sometimes I
just lack the time to do everything I'd like in that regard, but. . . Yes,
it's important.
TB: What sort of duty did you do out in the fleet before you came to the
Academy?
Sedaq: I was an engineer. Chief Engineer on the Endeavour. The USS
Endeavour-C, that is.
TB: What was it that drew you to become an instructor?
Sedaq: Hmm. . . Well, I was aboard a starship for several decades. And it
was interesting, it was always interesting, but. . . I suppose I wanted a
change. And, perhaps to put it a bit bluntly, I had these abilities, and I
wanted to share them. I'd already started to help young ensigns and crewmen
settle in on the Endeavour, and. . . Yes, I wanted to help a new generation
of dedicated cadets get ready for life in Starfleet. Plus, I wasn't sure I
wanted to spend my whole life in space. Life on the ground has its interests
too. It enables you to sit back, and look up into the skies, and. . . I don't
know, put things into perspective.
TB: I know that an instructor is never supposed to play favorites, but have
there been any students who have stood out in your mind?
Sedaq: (smiles) The particularly good ones, I suppose. Sometimes a former
cadet comes round just to say hello and thank you, and that's always nice. I
like to know how their careers are unfolding.
TB: What would you say was the most important thing for a cadet to remember
once they go out into the fleet?
Sedaq: Oh, goodness. Uhm. . . Why they're there, I suppose. Never lose focus
of what being a Starfleet officer means. You're out there to explore, to
discover the unknown, to expand our knowledge. . . to add to science. Every
new discovery enriches our capacity to think, to understand the universe we
live in, and in a way to know more about ourselves too. They're diplomats,
as well; agents of First Contact. Anyway, four years of training will have
prepared them well enough that they don't constantly need to try and
remember things. They'll have been well enough prepared that they can, I
hope, concentrate on the many wonders of the universe. (smiles)
TB: Do you have any desire to return to Fleet duty?
Sedaq: Well, I'm still reasonably young, but. . . I don't know. Perhaps one
day. Just as I felt Earth pull me back, one day I may feel deep space
pulling at me again. I'm not really thinking towards the future of my
career, to be honest. Work keeps me busy.
TB: Thank you for your time. Is there any message you'd like to send out
to your former students that are now Starfleet Officers?
Sedaq: Yes. I'm very proud of you. You worked hard, very hard, with
patience, effort and dedication. And now you're still working hard, and
hopefully you're seeing why being a Starfleet officer is worth those long
years at the Academy. Keep it up, and never lose your sense of wonder at the
universe. For everything you discover, there's more unknown out there than
any of us can possibly conceive of. Go out and find some of it.
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