My Enemy's Enemy

 Episode Name:  My Enemy's Enemy

   Written By:  Spider

         Cast:  Birev, Bright, Cross, Dakin, Edwards, Gwen Poole, 
                Havaris, Minos Evanginor, Park, Savarna, 
                Spider and Takamura.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Spider

     Aired On:  Wed Jul 21 03:15:35 2004

     Stardate:  54254.2

Time: Tue Jul 20 21:16:08 2004

Stardate: 54253.6

An operations ensign spins in his chair once before returning to his sensor sweeps.

Offering a helping hand up in Ops, Cross is seated at the science station, running the standard operational scans. He reaches up to adjust the collar to his black uniform. His attention is mostly on his board for the moment while he works.

Dakin, finding himself a nice reprieve due to the cancellation of the staff meeting, is contentedly going through the various tasks assigned himself on this shift at Station Tactical. A munitions inventory there, a phaser maintenance schedule there. Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to fraggin' readiness we go.

. o O Bright thinks "I suppose I could run a modulating distortion test on sample F-3432. Maybe a good iso-random spread after that... How are things? Things are good on the console. Right. So if I fuss with the parameters a little..."

Poole is seated in the command chair, turned towards her console. She appears to be reading a report or somesuch, confident that the other officers in Ops are studiously going about their duties.

It's a hard job, making sure all of the little green bars stay green. But that's precisely what Havaris is about this evening, monitoring the stations primary systems and subsystems in order to make certain the doors whish open, the tea appears hot, and the life-sustaining oxygen continues to filter out of the vents at a pleasant 72 degrees. The fact that most of this is automated means he has plenty of time to assist Savarna in her cross-training. Assistance that mostly consists of nodding his approval and mumbling now and again. It's a tough job. No, really.

Birev enters the deck, making his way quickly to an engineering station. He sits down and begins to work with quiet purposefulness.

Birev sits down at Engineering I.

Bright watches over the consoles at one of the science stations, occasionally reaching out to prod a display and eye the information there a bit more carefully. Her expression is bland.

Park follows Dakin into Ops as well and, seeing all the other stations taken, moves to stand behind the Bajoran and observe. May as well take advantage of the opportunity to brush up on that Tactical console.

Savarna looks...well, like Savarna, which is to say, she could be dead and controlled by little servo motors, and it wouldn't change her range of facial expressiveness all that much. Expression bland, she takes direction, pokes buttons when required, and doesn't vent all the station's oxygen out into space.

Takamura mans the Security station, trying to get more experience in station Operations. While his new assignment doesn't require him to stand this watch, he volunteers to expand his own capabilities. His eyes scan the security monitors checking that all is quiet and in order.

Edwards, not having a duty station or a real position, also decides to hang near the tactical console, and Dakin, and Park. As he is a Tactical Specialist, he lends some of his expertise to the security chief. He points at one of the readouts. "You put that phaser bank down for maintanence twice."

<CONTEST> Cross contests his Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

Dakin blinks in the middle of his deflector grid diagnostic and looks over his shoulder to Park. He then says to Edwards, "Yes, I know. That emitter junction has a tendency to overcharge so I doubled the shift on it. I've got a replacement inbound, but until we get it, I'd sooner not have the thing blow out in a crisis."

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Cross contests his Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Takamura glances over to the now crowded Tactical station, grinning to himself. With a shake of his head, he returns his attention to his monitors.

. o O Takamura thinks "I'm glad that I don't have Edwards and Park hanging over my shoulder."

Poole clucks her tongue once and looks up from the report on her console, closing it out. She glances towards Havaris, notes the abundance of green nominals on his console, then looks over her shoulder towards the tactical station with a bemused grin.

"Is doubling the shift really going to make a difference?" Edwards asks. "And when's the last time we had a crisis around here that required the station's phasers?"

Looking at his console, Cross frowns slightly at an oddity with the lastest sweep. He leans slightly over towards Bright. "You getting this too?" He murmurs lightly to her.

. o O Savarna thinks "Did he actually just say that _out loud_? Does the man want the Great Bird to defecate on our heads and laugh?"

Park rolls his eyes. "Oh, there you go. You just /had/ to say it, didn't you?", he says to Edwards with a chuckle.

Bright looks up and over at Cross, nodding. "Possible weapons fire on the long-range sensors? Yes," she murmurs in return.

Havaris takes to humming. Humming is a new habit the Bajoran has developed, lamentably right about the time he'd taken up the guitar. It makes the shift go faster. For him. And likely lodges the melodies of select Bajoran folk-tunes into the brains of those near Operations I. He stops humming long enough to note Edwards' way, "About four months ago, Sir." The chatter from sciences has Havaris knitting his brow and switching over to the sector's registered flight paths. "Checking on it, Sir."

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Savarna leans back to observe Havaris's changes to the pattern, expression growing faintly quizzical, head tilted to the side.

<CONTEST> Havaris contests his Administration Starbase skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

An operations ensign spins in his chair once before returning to his sensor sweeps.

Dakin answers Edwards with a smile, "I'm with Aaron, Commander. I'd rather be redundant in weapons maintenance than risk any kind of loss in battle readiness." He looks quizzically over to Havaris at his intense expression. "Something wrong, Kusto?"

Birev glances over toward the chatter for a moment with a curious frown before turning his attention back to his own display.

Takamura's attention is diverted from his console to the science station with a raised brow.

Edwards gives Havaris a look at his answer. Then he looks around at everyone else with the new buzz. Then back to Dakin. "If something's happening, it's your fault for being overcautious. You know that, right?"

Poole speaks up as her gaze swings back towards the chatter at sciences. "Weapon's fire?.. Can we see who or what is causing it? If we can see, put it up on viewscreen."

Dakin starts to answer his former C.O., when Poole's pronouncement causes him to cancel all the running commands on his console and bring up weapons arming and shield deployment menus on his console. He stops just short of bringing those systems online and keeps his eyes glued to your viewscreen.

"Possibly," Havaris replies to Dakin as he scans the flight registry, "though possibly not. The CTC Hernes and Cernex had a jointly registered flight path through the area of space where we're currently detecting weapon's fire. However, our last contact with that convoy several hours ago put them much closer to the station than where we're detecting fire. We have no registered flight plans that correspond to the location of possible weapons fire, and the Hernes and Cernex are the closest flight plan that matches." Havaris glances to Sciences briefly, then back to his flight data. "Suggest hailing the convoy, Sir, and attempting a more focussed scan of the area."

Savarna straightens slightly at Havaris's statement, a small frown crossing her face, and turns to study his display. Because she is training. Yes. Not concerned. No. Training.

. o O Savarna thinks "Oh. Dear."

. o O Savarna feels a sudden mix of sharp fear and numb, almost comfortable resignation. Of course those are the closest flight plans. There's probably a rule somewhere.

Takamura swiftly returns his full attention to the Security console, making sure that all preparations are in order in case an alert is sounded.

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

<CONTEST> Cross contests his Shipboard Systems Sensors skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

Cross turns back to his station and tries to clean up the scans that he was recieving from the area. He tries a way to lock onto the ships in the area, but so far, his station whines in failure.

Bright's fingers dance over the display panel. "Adjusting sensors to get a more thorough scan..." she announces, poking a few more things before shaking her head. "Results inconclusive at the moment."

Birev tenses a bit as things begin to happen, but the ensign continues to work in his little corner of the engineering world.

GAME: Birev spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Birev (claiming advantage) contests his Systems Engineering (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Birev taps quickly at his console. "Shifting power from non-critical systems to sensors and tactical systems," he announces calmly.

The deckplates hum underfoot as the power plants work to provide the station with energy.

. o O Takamura thinks "Who could be out there shooting at each other?"

Poole nods to Havaris and says, "Do it. And just in case, get a skeleton crew on Thomas Paine, have them start preparing her for disembarking. Sciences, I'd like the best scan of that area that you can give me." She glances down at her console briefly and then over to Birev. "Taking the initiative. Very good, Ensign."

"Pirates." Edwards mutters to himself darkly. "I hate pirates." He steps back from the tactical station and moves to stand near Poole and the command chair.

. o O Bright thinks "Come on, sensors. Maybe if I fuss with /this/... okay, that's not supposed to be purple. Aah! There we go, back."

Dakin's fingers do the dance of impending destruction as he looks over the enhanced energy outputs on his systems and nods approvingly to Birev.

Park steps back from the tactical console, since he doesn't have a position here anyway and waits to see who's heading to the Thomas Paine.

"Aye, Sir. Ready crew being brought to deck 21." Havaris pokes a button that sees to the automated roster calling for the Thomas Paine and focusses his attentions on the matter at hand, getting through to the convoy. He opens a general hail on all frequencies, attempting to reach the pair of ships across the considerable distance. "This is Federation Starbase 419 Flight Control to CTC Hernes and Cernex. This is 419 Flight Control to the CTC convoy, please acknowledge..." And so on. Give him a mini-skirt, kids.

Savarna glances to Sciences, but only briefly; they have her post, and she has, for the moment, her own. She turns her attention instead to Havaris and his hail, waiting for direction or need to order her into some other action.

Takamura glances over to Poole as she starts giving orders, waiting somewhat anxiously for something to do himself. But, short of a boading of the station, this incident will probably not require him.

GAME: Cross spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Cross (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Crosshalf-hears what was coming from the command chair as his attention is focused upon the sensors. His fingers flying across the electronic surface as he works on adjusting the sensors to bring up the resolution.

"I'm trying again," Bright says quietly, sliding a finger up along the display to increase some field or another. She nods once and says. "This is strange - I don't... I can't identify the the weapons. The information on what type of ships isn't available at this time - I don't think I can configure the sensors to show it better. Transferring the readings to you, Commander Poole." She taps her console again.

Birev looks quite pleased at Poole's comment as he keeps a close eye on his display, carefully monitoring the power distribution and consumption.

An operations ensign spins in his chair once before returning to his sensor sweeps.

"We have an answer from the Cernex and the Hernes, Sir. On screen?" Havaris takes his hand away from his ear piece and turns in his seat to regard the big chair.

"On screen," Poole confirms with a nod, then looks towards the viewscreen, leaning forward with interest.

Edwards looks on toward the viewscreen silently.

A lanky, pale twenty-something Centauran with randomly-spiked dark hair appears on the left half of the screen as Havaris complies, idly petting the arboreal squid on his lap; the right half shows a burly, middle-aged Centauran, also dark-haired, his mechanical hand resting on the arm of his captain's chair. His good hand works a console on his chair.

It is the elder of the two who speaks first: "This is Captains Achine Barsil and Tresh Apahl of the CTC. How may we be of assistance?"

Poole looks to the left and right half of the viewscreen in turn. "Captains, Leftenant Commander Poole here... we're registering weapon's fire on our sensors. Yours was the nearest flight path to the firing. What is your status currently, are you alright? And perhaps you could give us a better idea what our sensors are picking up?"

Edwards, because of his proximity to Poole, opts to act professional and just watch the viewscreen quietly. He clasps his hands behind his back.

Dakin spreads his hands on opposite corners of his console, watching the comm conversation intently.

A yeoman paces quickly through the doors, up the stairs, and into the CO's office.

Park watches quietly from near the turbolift.

Havaris looks a touch relieves to have the faces on screen and without obvious signs of duress. He even smiles a bit, returning to his more standard protocols at Operations.

See Savarna. See Savarna relax...back into her usual stiff-shouldered formality. Which says something about how tense she'd gotten for just a few moments, there, even though not a word is said as she turns her bland attention towards the picture on the screen.

Takamura watches the viewscreen, glancing down to his own console every now and again.

<CONTEST> Cross (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

GAME: Park spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Park (claiming advantage) contests his Medical Sciences (Psychology) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

Cross looks up slightly to the viewscreen as the Transports Captain appears. He looks back to his console as he continues to work on identifying who is out there as best as he can.

Bright looks up at the viewscreen, then ducks her head to monitor her console as she listens.

Birev glances curiously to the screen and the man with the squid before returning his attention to his console.

Again, it's Barsil who speaks in his thick Centauran accent, while the other Captain stays quiet; he seems more interested in looking off into Operations than talking to Poole, though he's clearly paying attention. "We are all right, as you say, and I believe we're out of danger, Lieutenant Commander. We assumed you were aware of what was going on -- and I must say, I'd hoped /you/ could give /us/ a better idea of why a Romulan Warbird is having it out with what we /think/ is a Starfleet vessel out here."

A pause, into which Captain Apahl interjects, "We've never seen a Romulan warbird /quite/ like this before."

. o O Gwen Poole thinks "Minos."

. o O Takamura thinks "A Romulan warbird and a Starfleet vessel? What are they thinking attacking us?"

A yeoman leaves the CO's office with a look of relief on his face.

. o O Savarna thinks "Oh, good. He isn't dead. And Mrs. Squid isn't eating his generative organs. Good. Because I am going to KILL HIM MYSELF."

"What you think..." Poole pauses and then remembers what Bright said. It's obvious in the lightbulb above her head look on her face. Looking back to the viewscreen, she says, "Proceed on your way, Captains. We're dispatching a ship to the area."

"Quite right," rumbles Barsil. "Never seen one painted /purple/ before."

Tresh glances down at the viewscreen on which Barsil must be appearing to him, and nods once. "Exactly," notes the scrawnier of the two CTC captains, before adding, "We're en route to the station now, Commander. We will, as you say, maintain our current heading. Thank you."

. o O Gwen Poole thinks "MINOS."

. o O Gwen Poole thinks "And Sinclaire. I'll wage my commission on it."

. o O Bright thinks "How tacky."

. o O Takamura thinks "Purple Warbird?! That can only be Minos Evanginor! Come on Gwen, assign me to the Paine."

"Thank you. Station 419 out," Poole says before she looks over her shoulder at Edwards, giving him a meaningful look. "Minos Evanginor and I have a sneaking suspicion about who the Hernes and Cernex thought /looked/ like a Starfleet vessel is. Thomas Paine is yours, Commander. I'd like to volunteer as your XO."

. o O Bright thinks "I mean, purple. Is it at least a nice eggplant purple, or are we talking fuchsia here?"

"That man's like a cockroach. I didn't step on him hard enough." Edwards looks to Poole. "Far be it for me to argue with any of that, Commander Poole."

Dakin frowns at the prospect of having to deal with two of the station's major adversaries at once. "Need someone running the guns, sirs?"

"With respect, Commanders, a Brilliant Class Light Escort is no match for a D'Deridex class warbird, no matter how out of date. Assuming it /is/ out of date. Which it, in all likelihood, isn't." Havaris looks from Poole to Edwards and back again. "You can't hope to engage them and win. Let me at least get Sector on the horn and divert some of the Seventeenth. I think Admiral Graves still has elements at Dulcais. A little caution goes a long way." Havaris turns back to his station and notes, "But if you're bound and determined, I'll have Operations."

Park glances from Edwards, to Poole, to Dakin. "I suppose that I can tag along if you need an extra set of hands, Mikey.", he says with a glance over to Havaris as he speaks.

<CONTEST> Savarna (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Cross (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Bright contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Savarna taps at her console, new relaxation remaining even now, and calls up her sensor readings. Almost on a whim, assuming she ever does anything whimsically. "I will accompany, if permitted, to continue my cross-training," she says. "Further, something just exploded in a dramatic fashion in the location of the original readings." Boom.

Takamura tries not to chomp at the bit as the crew assignments are being made. Looking to Edwards, he says, "Permission to join your crew, sir."

The computer clicks and beeps to itself as its parameters change.

. o O Gwen Poole thinks "If there is any sense of justice in this world, that was Minos' ship."

Cross looks up from his console when he hears two important words to him. Minos Evanginor. As he console starts to beep, he looks back down, confirming Savarna's comment with a painful grimace. "Ship size." He adds to her comment. He looks to Edwards and Poole. "Permission to be on the crew, Sir."

Bright looks over her readout. "Confirming explosion. It's a big one."

Birev glances over at the announcements of explosion with a slightly worried frown before keeping an even closer eye on his controls.

"I wasn't quite done with my orders here, Leftenant Havaris... do as you've suggested. We wouldn't dream of engaging them outright, but we need a presence out there that's Starfleet," Poole says to Havaris and starts to get to her feet. Then she quiets to see what Edwards has to say about all the volunteers.

"Then come along with us. And..." Edwards looks around. "You, you, you, you and you." He points to Dakin, Savarna, Takamura, Cross and Bright. "You're with us." He glances at Park. "Prep the infirmary, just in case." That said, he heads for the exit. "Let's smack around some pirates."

Dakin nods and sees about securing his station. "Aye, sir."

Park gives the Commander a nod and steps into the turbolift. "Good luck.", he replies as the doors close.

Park goes home.

Park has left.

Havaris sends out a priority one transmission to all starfleet vessels in the vacinity and forwards along a status report to Admiral Graves at Dulcais. Once he's satisfied that the message is out, he surrenders his station to his replacement and jogs up towards the turbolift, likely one of the last officers to board it.

Savarna rises promptly, smoothing her uniform, and walks to the turbolift, rubbing the back of her head briefly with one hand as she steps on. Pirates. Death. Doom. Destruction. What a lovely day.

Takamura grins as he secures his station. He tries to maintain his professionalism while following behind the other officers.

Cross nods as Edwards taps him and turns quickly to make sure all the information is in the sensor logs before making sure it is secured for his replacement. He stands and heads towards the lift, smoothing out his black uniform.

Cross stands and leaves Science I.

Bright nods to Edwards and finishes up with her console, hands flicking over the brightly coloured rectangles. She then rises from her seat and turns about to join the others going to the Paine.

Cross sits down at Science I.

A petty officer steps in through the doors and sets about tapping things on the console beside the entrance.

Birev stands and leaves Engineering I.

Birev goes home.

Birev has left.

Dakin goes home.

Dakin has left.

It's a quick trot down to level 21 and out the airlock -- but into the Thomas Paine, and not into space. With Edwards taking the CO's chair and the ship prepared for departure while the conversation with the CTC Captains went on in Ops, the Paine is under way, passing the incoming freighters a few moments after departing the normal traffic around the station. The pair of antique ships lumber through space with all the grace and speed of the average pregnant water buffalo, creaking along contentedly like a pair of old men sharing a nice Sunday walk over to their favorite chess board in the park.

Edwards shifts in the command chair and taps his fingers on the armrest. "What do we see?" he asks.

. o O Savarna thinks "Tresh is safe and on the station. If we all die, he will feed my fish."

Running her fingers along the conn, Poole does her best to get the Thomas Paine to the area of the explosion both safely and quickly.

Havaris settles in at Mission Operations, giving the controls a customization job to suit his particular tastes. It's been a while since he's sat in at this particular station, and he makes certain he's familiar with the systems before him before worrying about the bridge around him.

The deckplates hum underfoot as the power plants work to provide the station with energy.

Savarna studies her station for a moment, settling into place before starting to adjust her controls and bring up her personal sensor displays. Because everyone needs to see space from seventeen angles at once.

Takamura assumes a familiar post as he stands at the Tactical station. Knowing that they will be facing a tough and wily opponent, he doublechecks all the weapons and defensive systems.

Cross shifts slightly in the engineering chair as he gets a progress report on the Engines, making sure they are readying nominal and ready to their optimal performance.

GAME: Bright spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

Bright takes her place quickly, fingers roaming over this new console. She's never been on the Paine before. "I'm sorry, sir - I'm working on getting readings." She bites her lower lip and keeps working.

<CONTEST> Savarna (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

GAME: Takamura spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

The stars slip by outside as the Thomas Paine smoothes its way through space, approaching the still-distant wreckage by now evident as a blip on everyone's consoles.

"Work harder." Edwards remarks. He grips the armrests a moment, then releases them and stands up. "Yellow alert!" he calls out, bringing the ship's alert status up.

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Poole shifts in her seat as she eyes the blip representing the wreckage on her console. "Anyone else hoping Minos lost?" she asks no one in particular.

Once they're near the debris field, Havaris falls into the role of Mission Operations officer rather much at once. He works through the incoming broadspectrum sensor data and focusses his own readings on lifesigns and biosignatures. In short order, he's relaying a sensor map to the Command chair, showing a little yellow reticle over a piece of debris in the field. "Romulan lifepod, Sir, containing one lifesign. I can account for no other lifesigns in the debris. Looks as though all other hands were killed."

A petty officer steps in through the doors and sets about tapping things on the console beside the entrance.

<CONTEST> Savarna (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Savarna (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

Savarna continues to work at her console, glancing towards Havaris at his report, but otherwise focused and frowning slightly.

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

Takamura brings the phasers and torpedo launchers to partial standby and the deflectors to standby. He also attempts to figure out where the attacker disappeared to but to no avail.

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Succeeds!

Cross turns slowly from his Engineering console to look in the direction of Havaris. "All the slaves...they are lost?" He asks curiously as he looks to the viewscreen.

. o O Cross thinks "If Minos isn't dead, I'll kill him!"

Bright blinks a few times as she continues working. "Sir, I'm detecting a closing subspace rift near the wreckage."

A little light flashes on Savarna's console, as well as Havaris's. You've got hail!

"Of course." Edwards shakes his head. "Bring us into transporter range, Gwen. The life signs in there strong? No dire injuries?"

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Poole can't hide her interest in what's happening around the bridge, but she keeps her attention on flying. She nods and replies to Edwards, "Bringing us within transporter range, sir."

<CONTEST> Savarna (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

"Aye, Sir. The lifesign we have is stable." Havaris glances at his sensor readings, giving the closing subspace rift a wary glance. His eyes shift about the bridge for a moment before returning to his primary tasking. "Sir, I estimate the casualty count at over three thousand. I detect at least two-thousand eight hundred and forty seven bodies and... Enough diasporatic biomatter to account for the remainder." Havaris glances Cross's way briefly before shifting in his seat and resuming his work. "I'll be ready to bring the survivor aboard, Sir, momentarily."

. o O Bright feels a sense of dread at the dire news.

"Stable, but injured," Savarna adds, studying her own console as she she scans through the sensor readings. "Medical care will be required."

Takamura raises a brow when he hears about the closing subspace rift. When Savarna reports about the injury, he pipes up. "Sir, if you'd like I can treat the survivor and Lt. Havaris could take over at Tactical."

Cross arches a brow and sees if he can pull up the report from Bright's terminal about the closing rift. He keeps a close on his board, making sure the ship remains ship shape.

A senior chief in Sciences blue does a double-take at some readings, before clearing his head and realizing his mistake.

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

Bright keeps puttering with her console; she frowns, shaking her head.

Edwards retakes his seat. "Takamura, you can take some security officers to the cargo bay and we'll hold our guest there." he says. Then he notices something on his readouts. "Will someone put this hail I wasn't told about on screen?"

. o O Havaris thinks "Why in Opaka's name would Sinclaire want to destroy the Evanginor D'Deridex? It makes no sense. There's only two reasons that come to mind. First, he had something she didn't want out. Second, the Cernex and Hernes had something she didn't want destroyed. And, lucky me, I'm on a bridge full of card carrying black uniformed jackbooters..."

Poole focusses on her job, bringing the ship within range of that lifepod... though she keeps one eye on that viewscreen, anticipating who'll appear there.

. o O Gwen Poole thinks "All those people... Is Minos even among them? Or is he the one in the pod?... Why would Wendy do this?"

"Aye, Sir. Putting the hail on-screen." Havaris taps a control on his terminal and puts the call through, resuming his calibration of the transporters.

A slender, long-haired Orion male with cheekbones that could be used to cut glass appears on the screen, jaw set with a subdued determination. A laceration beginning above one eyebrow snakes down the side of his face, ending in an ugly abrasion on his lower cheek. "Thomas Paine. I am formally and by the laws of the Federation requesting assistance, and asylum."

A yeoman paces quickly through the doors, up the stairs, and into the CO's office.

Cross looks up from the scan and keeping an eye upon the output on the engines when he looks in the direction of the viewscreen. He looks at the Orion appearance with an arched curious look.

Savarna glances up, and frowns slightly, fingers stilling on the console.

"You have /got/ to be kidding me." Yet Edwards somehow does not look amused. "Asylum? You deserve to be tossed in the nearest cell and forgotten about until the last of your bones disinegrate and blow away, to be recycled by the environmental controls."

Bright blinks up at the viewscreen, but remains pretty much composed.

. o O Bright thinks "So that's Minos Evanginor the Orion pirate. He's got some cheekbones. Huh."

Havaris consults his terminal for a moment, bringing up the Sector Security feed. His eyes shift briefly back to Edwards, then up to Minos. He briefly mutes the hail and mutters down at his terminal, "Sir, Minos Evanginor has no outstanding warrants at this time." His finger lazily releases the mute once he's done speaking, tappity-tapping away as though that never happened.

Poole sends a sour look Havaris' way and then types something into her console, sending a message to Edwards. Afterwards she resumes her hard-edged staring at the orion on screen.

Takamura nods to Edwards as he sends a message for a security team to meet him in the cargobay with a medical kit. "Aye aye, sir." He then pauses as the 'survivor' appears on the screen. He glances to Edwards to see what the Commander wants him to do now.

Message appearing on Edwards' console from Poole's: 'He may not have any warrants for his arrest, but that doesn't make him any less guilty of crimes against the Federation. We can't kill him. We can't give him asylum. It's your call, but I'm of the belief that we should bring him aboard, get the information we need out of him, arrest him and then charge him with all of the crimes we know he has committed, even if there aren't any warrants out for his arrest. There are enough of us that he's committed crimes against personally to put him away forever, short of the President pardoning him.'

Minos -- for that is certainly who this is -- smiles lazily at that, as if for all the world he were a cat with an Edwards-shaped mouse under one paw, rather than a singular man floating about in an escape pod. "Every man is entitled to his opinion, of course. I am formally requesting aid and asylum. Are you refusing to provide aid to a vessel requesting it, Commander Michael Edwards?"

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

"Shut up, Havaris." Edwards snaps. "And beam him up here." He looks down at the message on his console, skimming over it, then returns his attention to the viewscreen. "You so much as look at anyone wrong and I swear to any god you might believe that I will drop you."

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Computer (Research) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

. o O Bright is caught off guard; there's a burst of surprise.

. o O Havaris thinks "Eat gagh from Dukat's forehead, Michael."

. o O Bright thinks "...Alright, I don't think threatening is part of Standard Operating Procedure when accepting Asylum. It's not professional. They must really hate him. Still..."

<CONTEST> Havaris contests his Shipboard Systems (Transporters) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Minos Evanginor continues smiling that lazy, self-assured smile, completely unruffled by the Canuck Commander's threats. "Why would I even look at someone wrong, Commander? I'm sure you have me confused with some other, less-than-savory businessm... " and he fades into a shower of blue light as the transporters engage.

Havaris gives Edwards a slow and pointed backwards glance when ordered to shut up, but he complies with said order by not saying a word of reply. He turns back to his terminal and cues up the transporters. "Energizing." Havaris runs his fingers up the board and sends the image on the view screen down to the transporter room. Once that's done, he cycles the buffers and taps the hail closed. "Survivor aboard, Sir. Standing by at Mission Ops."

Alternating blue and yellow flashes of light emit from an open Jefferies tube, before a lithe Bajoran swings out and re-seals the hatch, her work complete.

Considering Edwards' order to Havaris, Takamura secures his station and proceeds to the cargobay as previously ordered.

Cross half listens to Minos and his comments to Edwards. He frowns to himself, having his own reasons to hate the man. He turns back to put his attention to his console, hiding his face.

Poole keeps staring icicles at Minos until he's no longer on the viewscreen, then glances behind her at Edwards, forehead creasing a smidge with worry.

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Bright frowns at the readings she's getting on her console. "The ship's explosion was not caused by the rift. I can't identify the weapons resonance at all."

"Takamura, drag him up. And be... nice." Edwards clenches his jaw briefly. "Just take all the data you can." he says, glancing toward Bright. "Is there anything else of interest out here?"

Poole sends a glance again to Edwards, clearly wanting to say something, but not doing so. Not in front of all the junior officers. Back to flight control she goes.

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Computer (Data Alteration) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Computer (Data Alteration) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

As Takamura reaches the turbolift door, he turns to Edwards. "Aye aye, sir." He steps into the lift and returns a few minutes later with a medkit slung over his shoulder and Minos Evanginor flanked by two security crewmen. To Edwards, he asks, "Shall I treat him here?"

A security crewman turns aside to quietly answer his compin, before checking his phaser and walking quickly from the room.

Evanginor comes along peacefully, and he manages, despite the fact that blood is dripping down his leg and leaving bloody marks on the floor, to somehow still swagger just a very little bit. Confidence and gentility radiate off of him like sweat-steam off of a kochek player after a championship match.

Havaris brings up a diagnostic window and sets his terminal into a diagnostic in the background while tweaking the sensors. Busy work, apparently, wherein Havaris stays quiet and unassuming in the presence of greatness, and those what hate greatness and wish it dead. He certainly takes his time with it, too.

Cross turns slowly away from his station as he watches the Orion as he is escorted onto the bridge. He can't fight the frown the remains on his face. He looks towards Bright and her frustration with her work. He slips out of his chair, making his way over to her and her science station. "You mind if I give a hand." He offers in a low voice.

Bright shakes her head gently. "Nothing as far as I can tell, sir." She glances over at Minos, blinks once, and then returns her attention to her console.

<CONTEST> Bright (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

Bright glances up at Cross and says, "You're welcome to try. I think I've established that I have never encountered anything like this and am in fact unable to figure out where to go next." She squirms in a her seat a little.

. o O Bright thinks "This is gonna bug me for a long time. What IS it?"

"Gwen, take us home." Edwards stands up and turns to face their guest, Minos Evanginor. "Go ahead and treat him, Leftenant." He eyeballs Evanginor. "I hope it hurts like hell. Now what happened?"

Poole turns her head so she can look at Minos. She stares at him unpleasantly before looking back to her console and plotting a course back to S419. "Aye, aye, Commander."

A senior chief in Sciences blue does a double-take at some readings, before clearing his head and realizing his mistake.

Havaris continues monitoring his diagnostic and the sensor feeds until he's satisfied with the results. He closes out the diagnostic and breathes a sigh meant to calm his nerves. With nothing else to do, he plucks out his PADD and peers at his reports for a moment. Satisfied, he twitches a smile and settles his PADD back to his hip. Only then does he turn in his seat to offer Evanginor a two fingered wave of greeting. Hello. Fancy your bleeding here, and so on.

. o O Havaris is smugly pleased with himself, despite the grim circumstances. Somewhere in the background is the number 'three thousand' next to the word 'dead'. It will register, likely, when he has the luxury of considering the fact.

Takamura opens up the medkit, removing a tricorder and a dermal regenerator. Using the tricorder, he scans the Orion to determine the full extent of the man's injuries.

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his Personal Equipment (Medical Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

Cross tries not to look over at Minos, instead concentrating in helping Bright with her sensor problem. He looks at her readings and frowns gently as he looks over them. He pauses and looks over at Minos before shaking his head gently to himself before turning back. "Now...let see...what have you come up so far?" He asks Bright quietly.

. o O Cross thinks "You shot him down, didn't you, Sinclaire."

Bright murmurs, "Absolutely nothing identifiable. Strangely unidentifiable, even."

Minos meanders over to a wall -- meandering is hard when you have a limp, but he manages it nonetheless -- and leans non-chalantly against it, deigning to allow Takamura to scan and treat him as he speaks. "As you are well aware, Commander, I am under no obligation to tell you anything." A pause, and he smiles that jaguar's smile once again, slick as an oiled pelt. "/However,/ in the spirit of mutual assistance, given your generous and truly /humanitarian/ efforts here today, I will be more forthcoming than I have any real obligation, or, for that fact, reason to be."

The Orion continues on, as easily as if he were discussing last weekend's fabulous soiree: there were martinis, someone got drunk and fell in the pool, and the cocktail weenies were overdone, such a pity, usually the appetizers are just /delish/ at Melanie's parties. "As I was, of course, minding my very own business and on my way to Talvaria IV to pick up a shipment of Telvarian Spiceworm Ale, I was intercepted by Captain Sinclaire. An... altercation... ensued, and since I was, of course, unprepared for such a vicious and unprovoked attack by the Captain, my ship was destroyed."

A security crewman turns aside to quietly answer his compin, before checking his phaser and walking quickly from the room.

. o O Havaris finds the urge to strangle Evanginor battling with the urge to hug him. Ew.

"Oh. So you were just minding your own business and she came out of nowhere to try and kill you? Why am I not surprised?" Edwards shakes his head in disgust. "I might not be able to lock you up, which I /really/ want to do, or make you do anything. But I can tell you that you're a despicable thug and I only wish you and Sinclaire had managed to kill each other and save us a lot of grief." He steps closer to Evanginor. "You have your asylum. But I'll be waiting for you to give us a reason to toss you in a brig for good." He clenches his fists. "Commander Poole, you have the bridge. If I stay here, I'm liable to lose it." Then he moves to step on the turbolift.

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

Havaris tilts his head to the side at Evanginor's explanation of matters, eyes shifting to Edwards as he lets his inner monologue have the better of his outside voice. The Bajoran wets his lips and slowly turns back about in his seat to eye the debris field. His fingers breeze over the sensor readings for a few moments, ending in still fingers, narrowed eyes, and a small frown.

Poole rolls her eyes as she listens in on Minos' explanation. Right. Unprovoked. She shakes her head as if to clear it and checks her course and heading. And then when Edwards gives her the bridge and starts to go, she stares after him. Minos gets another look. "You'd best be on your best behavior, Evanginor."

Takamura frowns at the results on the tricorder. Then uses the dermal regenerator to seal the wounds and stop the bleeding. He then takes out a hypospray and loads it with a painkiller. "Mr. Evanginor, I am going to administer a painkiller to help aleviate the suffering." Looking over to Poole, he states, "This man needs to be taken to an Infirmary, sir. I can't treat all his injuries here on the bridge."

"I'll have to give the Captain a bottle of the best." Cross mutters lowly as he overhears Mino's explanation at what happened. He turns back to Bright and nods to her. "We might have to wait until later to get a more thorough examination of that reading." He comments to her.

Bright nods to Cross. "Agreed." Minos is given another curious look.

GAME: Takamura spends a courage point.

A yeoman paces quickly through the doors, up the stairs, and into the CO's office.

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his First Aid (Combat Medic) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

He leans patiently against the wall as he endures Takamura's gentle ministrations, does Evanginor. Bright's curious glances net her a slow, lengthy smile and a stare to match, even as he's having his skin regenerated. He looks as though he might raise a hand to wave at her, but stops with his hand in mid-raise, dropping it as he glances over at Poole with a vaguely injured look. "But of course, Lieutenant Commander. But of /course./"

. o O Bright feels the warmth of flattery suffuse her body, then a large note of concern immediately tamps down on it.

. o O Bright thinks "NO! Orion slaver pirate, Anne! He wants to shackle you up and SELL you! And shackling is bad. Really really bad."

Poole nods once, but doesn't for a second look convinced of the sincerity of Minos' words. She says to Takamura, "We're heading best possible speed back to 419, Hiroshi... that'll be his best bet at further treatment. When we're in range, you can transport to the infirmary, just make sure security is there to meet you. Mister Evanginor will have an escort at all times." That said, she glances back to the helm to make sure things are still in proper order.

"Sir, permission to refit a Class IV probe as a wreckage beacon? This debris is on a registered trade-lane, contains a singularity drive, and the bodies of over three-thousand civilians. I'd just need to recalibrate its LCARS uplink to transmit claim-data. Any craft coming close would be contacted by the probe. I can head below and get on that, we can fire it aft on our way home." Havaris turns in his chair to regard Poole, ignoring the pirate for the lime-green nuissance that he currently is.

Takamura returns the hypospray and dermal regenerator to the kit and pulls a bone knitter. He runs the beam of the device over the injured leg to repair the fractured bone.

Takamura says, "Understood, sir."

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his First Aid (Combat Medic) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Cross looks back, frowning in the direction of Minos before looking slightly towards Poole with a worried look. He turns back to Bright, placing a hand on her shoulder as he murmurs lowly. "Just save the log." He says before making his way to the Engineering station.

. o O Cross thinks "You even think about getting close to Casya and the twins and I'll make sure that they won't find one atom of you. I'm a science officer, I can do it!"

Bright murmurs, "Already saved, sir." She frowns over at Minos and narrows her eyes for good measure.

. o O Bright thinks "Ha. Take /that/!"

An ensign in Engineering gold pops the cover off a bulkhead and begins to reprogram an isolinear array.

Minos only smiles all the more widely at Bright as she narrows her eyes, half-lidding his own and letting that smile, too, fade a little as he watches her like a pair of vertical-pupiled eyes peering into a birdcage. He pretends not to notice Takamura's ministrations, and winces a little at the hypospray, tossing his hair just a little in the aftermath. He /meant/ to do that, you know. It's all part of the act, of course. Then it's back to watching Bright, grinning that same grin, as slow and slick and warm as a hand sliding down the back of a sweat-beaded neck: as if he hadn't just lost his ship, his harem, and thousands of crewmen and supporters. As if he wasn't standing on the bridge of a Federation starship, receiving medical attention. As if, in fact, none of this touches him at all, and despite everything, he has nothing more pressing to do with his time than make a Sciences Lieutenant blush.

Typical.