Rendezvous

[tomcat]

Darkan heard a new voice hail the Foscari - it was not Townshend. He remembered now reading the re-assignments and she had been moved to an Earth base. That was a shame, she had proven herself a good Operations Officer. Dylan Downer addressed Captain Dunayga, "Foscari, welcome and good timing! Captain Stonn relays his appreciation to you and your fine crew. We are currently traversing the gravitic effects of the Katyon Cluster and should be safely out of any potential hazards soon. We will rendezvous with you once clear. My captain would like to inquire as to the crew addition that you announced."

[GandalfOfBorg]

Darkan spoke up, interrupting the ship's captain, "Tell Captain Stonn, that the Columbia will be receiving a mission specialist and old friend.  Orders will be given upon arrival of the crewman."

Stephen couldn't help but smirk at the cryptic jest. "Well I'm off to the transporter room.  Thank you, Capt. Dunayga for your hospitality and safe journeys to you and your crew."

[tomcat]

On the Columbia bridge Downer looked to Stonn, "Sir, they have stated again it is a crew addition - some mission specialist and an old friend? They said we will receive our orders upon arrival of the new crewman and that the individual is preparing to beam over now."

[sdrotar]

On the Columbia bridge Downer looked to Stonn, "Sir, they have stated again it is a crew addition - some mission specialist and an old friend? They said we will receive our orders upon arrival of the new crewman and that the individual is preparing to beam over now."

Stonn was curious about the addition; it was unusual - though not unheard of - for Starfleet to deliver orders in person.
"Very well," he responded. "Advise them of our current situation - the creatures that we have yet to remove from our ship may be able to move onto theirs."
Chasing the Orions off gave them more time, but their... infestation had not yet abated.

[tomcat]

The concern of the alien entity, or entities, that had entered the Columbia's network of electronic and luminal wiring caused the Foscari to take pause in making any kind of link up with the Columbia. It would have been ideal to emply a shuttlecraft to bring Darkan back 'home', but unfortunately the smaller vessel did not have any embarked vehicles or a shuttlebay to accommodate the Columbia's.

The situation had Darkan intrigued. What had happened within the Cluster that the Columbia was to have been on a routine study? Dunayga proposed over the communications, "Columbia, perhaps we could beam our passenger to one of your own disembarked shuttles. Maybe the threat will be removed in this manner? We have no shuttlebay, although we do have docing ports for shuttle pods." Downer signalled the Federation corvette once more, "Foscari, I will consult with Captain Stonn. Columbia out."

Dunayga nodded his head and spoke to Darkan, "That should work."

Now far from where the two Federation vessels hung in space, the Orion ship dropped from warp speed and her captain ordered, "Open a secure channel." Once done, he continued, "This is Captain Radvaa of the Tisaruu caj, hailing the Preysolunt."

"Acknowledged, Radvaa. This is Tinaar. What have you found?"

"It is another Federation vessel, sir. They were once more within the bounds of our territory and it is possible that they might have found one of their sister vessels that we buried within the Cluster."

"Even if they had, how will they make any connection to us?"

"Unknown, sir, but if there is any evidence aboard that hulk, then we may have problems with the Federation. Perhaps another mysterious loss of one of their vessels is in order? We cannot have them snooping around the asteroid cloud that circles the cluster's gravity well. It could reveal the location of quite a number of our bases."

"Agreed. I will call for the Ambivose to accompany us. Tinaar out."

Radvaa motioned to his operations officer, "I want a damage report immediately with an estimate as to how long it will take us to be back to 100%."

Within the Katyon Cluster, the USS Merrimac hung in silence but on board there was a sudden burst of activity. The glowing sphere that had hung within the botanical atrium suddenly disappeared and the coccoon of environment that it sustained for all of the oxygen-carbon based life went with it. The void of pressure, warmth, and oxygen caused a flurry of wind as the held air was sucked out of the hull. A deep freeze settled over the plants and bodies, killing the former almost instantaneously. The dead crew bodies shuffled slightly from the voiding pressure and pitch darkness enveloped everything.

The USS Merrimac was now truly dead of all living things. Only the ship itself still maintained life in the form of nuclear reactors that still produced power, lighting the few running lights across the vessel's hull. Even those would someday fade, in the far off future, when the nuclear fuel expired.

Onboard the Columbia, on Deck Six, within the ship's botanical arboretum support the hovering sphere suddenly reappeared. It bathed the area in luminal energy and commenced defining a screen to encapsulate the Columbia's environment and to stave off the terrible ultra-violet waves of energy from the Katyon Cluster that bathed the ship. Also within the Columbia, insider her network of cables, shadows took notice of the sphere's arrival and their malignant hatred for it began to burn with energy - energy that Marshal and Downer could notice on the bridge.

The two men looked at one another and then to the Captain, "Sir... we have new activity on board!"

[sdrotar]

"Details, please, Mr. Downer," Stonn said calmly as he walked over to the science station and put his hand up to the officer on deck - he wanted to see what was happening for himself.

Sensors +9

Rolled 2d6+9 : 6, 3 + 9, total 18

[tomcat]

Stonn looked at the console and saw the identical readings that had once been emanating from the Merrimac now glowing like a beacon within the Columbia's hull on her her port side, deck six. He then laid over the schematic of his ship the application that Marshal and Downer had programmed to monitor the locations of the dark entities that coursed the ship's network. He could see the energy patterns representing the creatures moving towards the location of the Aboretum.

Downer called out once more, "Captain, the Foscari is requesting a reply for crewman transfer."

[sdrotar]

Stonn looked up from the viewer for a moment -- the timing for such a request was odd.
Nevertheless, at the moment, it seemed as if they could accommodate it.

"Very well," he said. "Please relay the need for alacrity."

He went back to station and pulled all the files they had made regarding the entities and the Columbia's disposition, including their current status.
"He thumbed the comm panel himself and spoke quickly.

"Foscari, this is Captain Stonn. Please prepare to receive a data package that contains all we know about the entities that have moved from the Merrimac to the Columbia. I request that you relay this data to Starfleet Command as soon as you clear the cluster's gravimetric interference."

He waited a beat, then continued. "I recommend that you create distance from the Columbia as soon as possible and retreat from the Katyon cluster to avoid contamination.
"Thank you for your assistance with the Orion threat. My compliments to your captain and crew."

He went back to the viewer, and without looking up, he added, "Security, please converge on the arboretum. Ensure that nothing leaves the area, but do not enter it at this point."

[tomcat]

Grahm could see that Downer was still waiting for an answer as to how Captain Stonn wanted to have the new crewmember transported to the Columbia, but the Vulcan was already onto new thoughts. He made a final command on his tactical display that brought all weapons to standby and then spoke, "Send the Travel Pod to retrieve this new passenger. It should take less than a half hour round trip. Pushkin, why don't you helm it? Tell the Foscari to close with the Columbia to a safe distance."

The Tactical Officer then saw to his new orders. His captain had requested a team of his people converge on the Arboretum. Grahm would not let his junior crewmen go in alone. "Captain, I will be heading down to Deck 6."

At his station, Pushkin sent a command to the Docking Port Three Control Room where the travel pod was collared to have the small craft readied. Alex looked to Anderson, "Be back in a bit." He stood and began to walk to the turbolift where Grahm also was moving. A junior flight officer quickly sat down and took the Columbia's helmsman's place.



Not sure if there is anymore dialogue necessary here. If not, I will start the two new threads. Let me know, Shawn.

[sdrotar]

  I don't see anything major. Let's keep it moving!