“Captain, Starfleet Medical has informed us they have our Borg drone in custody, all crew is accounted for and Traffic Control has given us the Go to launch; we’re just waiting on your word, sir.” Desmond said proudly sporting his official fleet uniform with the singular ensign pip. Summer stood at the tactical station not very happy with her failure.

“Ensign, the word is given.” Edgar said, taking a seat in the captains chair. Desmond returned to the console and the New Orleans undocked from the station. Once the ship had cleared the walls of the spacedock, the ship came to rest in the main traffic line.

“Sir the ship is officially out of spacedock and awaiting a heading.”

“Set a course for P’Jem, warp 9...engage.” Edgar sat back into his chair and began to relax as the New Orleans left the Sol system. Dr. Turek made his appearance on the bridge about that time and stood at a science station. Dr. Turek, please see me in my ready room. Solek you have the bridge.”

The two officers entered the bridge, leaving Desmond and Summer to look at each other confused about what was happening and who this new officer was. Solek noted the visual exchange and decided to enlighten the two, “He’s our new Chief Medical Officer.” The comment raised more questions than it answered.

Inside the ready room, Edgar felt agitated. This was the first time he had to assert any level of disciplinary action to a subordinate. He hated the entirety of it. “Sit down, Doctor.”

Turek was trying to minimize his own anxiety, but it was fairly clear he was equally agitated. “Sir if I may please request...”

“No, you need to explain why you felt the need to make that comment earlier.” Edgar ordered sitting back in his own chair, staring down his new medical officer. He had clearly put Turek on the defensive.

“Captain, I have a phobia of being in space.” Edgar pulled up Turek’s file and glazed down to the performance record. “I’m a research physician, not a triage nurse.”

“Triage nurse? What exactly do you think ship physicians do?” Edgar looked fairly irritated.

“They handle triage. Ships get attacked; the captain can take some random artifact and expose the entire crew to an unknown pathogen; people come to you about every twitch and twang in their bodies expecting some miracle cure or a painkiller to make it go away...it’s draining and distracting.” Turek argued. Edgar was close to livid. "I'd much rather deal with a research facility on a planet for long term cures instead of quick fixes."

“Doctor, let me explain some things to you, and maybe that will enlighten your opinion to what we’re dealing with here. This ship survived a Borg attack, but all senior officers were assimilated or killed...except me. Starfleet has retained my command, though I’m a mere lieutenant. As you can imagine, this ship has a lot of green officers - most are inexperienced at best - and so far the entire senior staff is comprised of ensigns and chief petty officers.” Edgar leaned forward, imposing his authority while still trying to put Turek on the level he expected. “Now if you want to wallow in pity over being stuck on this ship then I can confine you to quarters and utilize the EMH medical team for the duration of this mission. Or, you can rise to the occasion and prove your worth as a medical officer to me and Starfleet. You were the only physician Starfleet Medical could or was willing spare, and I took a chance. Now which will it be, ensign, sick bay or confined to quarters?”

“Bridge to Captain Calvin.” Edgar sighed and leaned back at Solek’s interruption.

“Go ahead Mr. Solek.” The irritation seeped from his tone.

“Sir, long range sensors are detecting a Klingon bird-of-prey in orbit around P’Jem.” Solek’s statement brought a look of surprise to both officers in the ready room.

“Understood. Go to Yellow Alert and notify Starfleet of the situation.” Edgar turned back to Turek. “Do you have an answer for me, ensign?”

Turek nodded an understanding. “I will report to sick bay, sir.”

“You’re dismissed.” Edgar said, shutting down his terminal. “Dr. Turek, understand that I need my team to cooperate and obey my orders. Can I trust that this will be the last time you’ll be in my office for acting out of line?”

“I will try to not make a habit of it...Off the record, sir, I honestly can’t say.” Turek stated. Edgar pointed his chin agressively to the door brushing Turek out of the room.

sweet - and I just found the need for a chief of security! I have to agree with others that have posted, I'm quite impressed with the creativity. I need to write up my own now!

Redwing was sitting at his desk in Medical when War'en entered. He was so absorbed in what he was reading on his computer display that he didn't even notice when War'en approached the desk. After a moment, War'en placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, can you spare a moment?

Redwing let out a surprised yelp and spun in his seat, which caused War'en to jump back. When Redwing saw who had touched him, he immediately calmed down and grinned. "Wow, sorry. I didn't even hear you come in. What's up?"

War'en glanced around before looking back at Redwing. "Well, something, actually. Do you have time to talk?"

"Yeah, of course," Redwing said, his voice adopting more of a concerned tone. "What's wrong?"

War'en took a breath and thought for a moment before he continued. "It's Captain Oren-De. I'm becoming very concerned with the way he's... acting."

"You mean how he led that away team mission back at the science outpost? Because while I agree it was definitely a bit weird for a captain to do that, you have to admit he knew what he was doing."

"No, it's not that. Hell, Shrel actually commended his skill with a phaser rifle to me. Voluntarily, even. I don't think I've heard Shrel complement anyone before."

"So what is it then?"

"It's the fact that he seems to be completely ignorant of the crew's morale and emotional state. You heard that comment during the meeting today, right? He thinks the crew is operating well, because there isn't any conflict between the old and new personnel. Meanwhile, he doesn't seem to even care how the crew is dealing with the very reason why we needed the new personnel."

Redwing nodded and let out sigh. "Yeah... I don't think he's even noticed Talona's state."

War'en shook his head. "How is she doing, by the way? I keep trying to get her alone to talk to her, but I'm pretty sure she's desperately trying to avoid that."

"Ditto. I can tell she's bottling it up and you don't need clincal psychology experience to tell you that's a recipe for disaster. But, even though I do have that experience, there's nothing I can do if she won't even start to open up."

"Actually, Dr. Redwing, you could order her to..."

"Nope, not until I see some evidence of it significantly impacting her performance. Showing signs of stress doesn't really cut it. Until I see something more substantial, I can only intervene as a friend."

"See, that's just it. Captain Jacobs would have noticed by now. He would have been calling her into his ready room to talk to her about it, if only to let her know that he cared. That man constantly had a read on how the crew was doing. Hell, when you and I started dating, he practically knew the second after our first kiss."

"Well, it was a pretty hot kiss."

War'en gave him a look. "While that is true... it doesn't change the fact that Captain Oren-De is so ignorant of this crew that he can't even tell half of it is on the verge of a breakdown and the other half is sure that he hates them. He barely even acknowledges anyone who isn't a senior officer."

"Well... yeah, that's true. However, cut him a little slack. He is an Enhasan, after all."

"So? Being an Enhasan, or any race for that matter, doesn't excuse him for treating the crew the way he does."

"No, but it does at least explain why. I mean, think about the culture he grew up in. It's a far cry from anything on Earth, Trill, or really any member planet of the Federation."

War'en's blank expression caused Redwing to look at him quizzically. "You do know what I'm talking about, right? The whole 'meritocracy' thing?"

"Well... I... haven't really had time to read up on it..."

"War'en! Are you serious!? He's your captain, and you don't even know the first thing about where he comes from!"

"Well, not all of us are as fascinated by xenography as you are!" War'en bristled.

Redwing instantly regretted the sharp tone he had taken when War'en retorted. War'en apparently did as well and took a breath. "I'm sorry. It's just... being both first officer and Chief of Engineering hasn't left me a lot of free time to look into it. I've been meaning to but... stuff keeps coming up."

Redwing stood up from his chair, placed his hand on War'en's shoulder, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I know. Want me to give you a quick run-down? It will be just the important bullet points, and you can even stop me if I start to ramble."

"Yeah, I'd like that," War'en said, offering the other man a small smile. Redwing grinned broadly in return before moving over to a panel next to a large display that occupied one of the wall's of his office. After a few taps, the image of a verdant class M planet came into view. War'en noticed that it also had a ring, but it was much more sparse than other ring systems he had seen. Redwing motioned to the image before he began.

"This is Enhasa. It's been an allied world of the Federation for nearly a century. It can never be a full member world because its system of government violates one of the equal rights clauses of the Federation charter. Specifically, it's caste system."

War'en looked at Redwing quizzically. "What's a caste system?"

"It's a social system where the people are organized into well-structured tiers and mobility between them is practically impossible. While common in pre-warp cultures, they're absent from most space-faring civilizations. Caste systems tend to oppress a vast majority of the population, and by the time a civilization develops warp drive, that majority has usually revolted and established a more egalitarian system of government. That's why you never really hear the term tossed around. However, there are exceptions, and the Meritocracy of Enhasa is one of the most famous.

"There are two main castes in Enhasan society. The upper caste are called the 'Ya-Shin', or 'those of the sky', and the 'Udu', or 'ground-dwellers'."

War'en cocked an eyebrow. "That seems rather insulting."

"In Enhasan society, it's also very literal. With very few exceptions, the Udu live on the surface of Enhasa while the Ya-Shin reside in an expansive network of orbital stations."

The image of Enhasa blinked out and was replaced with an image of one of those orbital stations. It looked almost like the saucer section of most Starfleet ships, though significantly larger. "There are literally thousands of these spread out in orbit above the planet in a ring. In fact, they house nearly one-third of Enhasan society."

"So, which one of the castes would our captain be from?"

"He is in the Ya-Shin caste, as are the other Enhasans that serve in Starfleet. However, it's more complicated than that. The two main castes are divided and sub-divided into specific niches that specifically define an individual's role. On top of that, the entire system is determined by the central government of the Meritocracy. It is constantly evaluating every Enhasan from the moment of birth, and determining the caste and role that each will occupy based solely on their aptitudes and skills; hence the 'meritocracy' name. Enhasan society is regulated and controlled by its government to a degree that is unheard of in nearly every other culture the Federation has been in contact with."

"That sounds... awful, to be honest."

"Well, it's not my cup of tea either. When I was a kid, no one would have even guessed I'd become a doctor, let alone a Starfleet one. However, it does explain a lot of the captain's actions. Think about it, War. He comes from a society where everyone is organized by skill. On top of that, it's a caste system, so that in turn determines who he socializes with. He just hasn't been brought up to talk or even empathize with those who aren't his immediate peers. The problem is that, on a starship... there's not really any peer to the captain."

War frowned as he turned over all of this information in his head. Taking what Redwing had told him to its logical conclusion painted a very bleak picture for the crew's relationship with its new captain. Not only would Oren-De be adverse to socializing with any members of the crew, it might actually be impossible for him to do so. In War'en's eyes, that was exactly the wrong type of captain that the crew needed right now.

"No wonder he seems so ignorant of everyone else."

Redwing nodded. "Yup. On the plus side, Enhasans are the best organizers and delegators in the galaxy. They have a knack for immediately determining a person's abilities and the job that is best-suited to them."

"That's not very useful when the crew is too frightened or depressed to function."

"Well... War, that's where you come in."

"Huh?"

"You're the first officer. If the captain is missing something, it's your job to bring it to his attention, right?"

War'en nodded. He had known for some time that he was going to have to speak with Oren-De about this. It didn't mean he was looking forward to it, though.

"Thanks. I think I know what I need to do."

Redwing grinned. "No problem. After all, someone's got to he--"

He was suddenly interrupted by red lights and klaxons going off around the medical bay. Redwing and War'en looked around in alarm at the sudden outburst from the ship, which was followed momentarily by the sound of Oren-De's voice on the comm system.

"Report to battle stations immediately. Prepare for engagement wit--"

This time it was Oren-De's turn to be interrupted. For a second, there was only white noise. However, the dissonant chorus of cold voices that followed sent a chill down the spines of everyone on the ship.

"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Your biological and technological resources will be added to our own. You will be made to service us. Resistance is futile."

Use your keyboard's Print Screen key; it automatically doesn't include the interface.

how would one take a screenshot?

I've tried looking through the controls, but i couldn't find a screenshot button.

:-/

Just for the bugged NCC...



My NCC displays fine on my nacelles, but top and bottom of the saucer just show this. :-D

I'll just link to my other favourite as it's a **SPOILER**:

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii134/PjhN/screenshot_2010-02-15-01-14-51.jpg

Awesome! This is a really cool reptilian race! When I make my next crew, I may need to recruit one of these. I really love the specialized gender morphology concept.

Kre'Torans

BASIC INFO
Home Planet: Kre'Torana
Government: The Supreme Imana of the People (matriarchal monarchy)
Population: 42 billion over 8 planets
Tech Status: Warp-capable
Affiliation: Federation Ally
Race Traits: Physical Strength (All others are negotiable)

PROFILE
Biology
Kre'Torans are a semi-reptilian humanoid race. The biology of Kre'Torans is most greatly signified by their sexual morphology. The species, uniquely, has 6 sexual morphisms: Queen, a fertile female; King, a fertile male; Queen-thrall, an infertile female whos physiology allows her to carry the fertilized eggs in specialized egg sacks; Drone, an infertile female whos specialized tongue carries special enzymes that allow the egg to hatch; Cantor, a special infertile female who exudes special pheromones which are highly pleasurable to all Kre'Torans and determines the morphism of the egg; Soldier, a specialized large sized infertile male who protects the nest. Queens are highly specialized in their physiology. Their bodies are nearly 50 meters in length, almost entirely made up by the huge egg sack, from which fertile eggs are extracted to be placed in Queen-Thralls. Queens are also practically immortal, however, this is limited by the number of eggs they possess. Once they are out of eggs, they live only a few weeks and then die.

Another unique aspect of their physiology is their usage of pure carbon in a crystalline metabolic reaction. As a Kre'Toran gets older, the body begins to exude highly organized carbon chains into diamond formations across the forehead and in a crest over the neck. These protections evolved to defend against the many hostile predators that still infest the crystal forests of their home planet.

Culture
Kre'Toran culture completely revolves around the nests. Some nests approach the size of the largest human cities on Earth. The Great Queen Imana acts as de-facto leader of the species. Most Queens defer to her as she is the eldest among them. Very few know how old she truly is, but it is rumored that she is well over one hundred thousand years old. In her extreme age, she rarely moves from her massive throne chamber, but she entertains visitors constantly.

The Kre'Toran Drones and Soldiers are the ones most readily seen outside the nests. Soldiers possess massive strength, which has caused them to be in great demand for Federation commanders in Starfleet. When Kre'Torana was first visited by the Federation in 2407, they were met by a delegation that included Imana in a special yacht she had designed for the occasion. The Federation scouts were surprised she was as knowledgeable about the Federation as she was, only later finding out that Queens have massive telepathic abilities allowing them to view events across several light years. A treaty was established within hours, and Drones and Soldiers were provided to Starfleet as a courtesy.

Kre'Torans

BASIC INFO
Home Planet: Kre'Torana
Government: The Supreme Imana of the People (matriarchal monarchy)
Population: 42 billion over 8 planets
Tech Status: Warp-capable
Affiliation: Federation Ally
Race Traits: Physical Strength (All others are negotiable)

PROFILE
Biology
Kre'Torans are a semi-reptilian humanoid race. The biology of Kre'Torans is most greatly signified by their sexual morphology. The species, uniquely, has 8 sexual morphisms: Queen, a fertile female; King, a fertile male; Queen-thrall, an infertile female whos physiology allows her to carry the fertilized eggs in specialized egg sacks; Drone, an infertile female whos specialized tongue carries special enzymes that allow the egg to hatch; Cantor, a special infertile female who exudes special pheromones which are highly pleasurable to all Kre'Torans and determines the morphism of the egg; Soldier, a specialized large sized infertile male who protects the nest. Queens are highly specialized in their physiology. Their bodies are nearly 50 meters in length, almost entirely made up by the huge egg sack, from which fertile eggs are extracted to be placed in Queen-Thralls. Queens are also practically immortal, however, this is limited by the number of eggs they possess. Once they are out of eggs, they live only a few weeks and then die.

Another unique aspect of their physiology is their usage of pure carbon in a crystalline metabolic reaction. As a Kre'Toran gets older, the body begins to exude highly organized carbon chains into diamond formations across the forehead and in a crest over the neck. These protections evolved to defend against the many hostile predators that still infest the crystal forests of their home planet.

Culture
Kre'Toran culture completely revolves around the nests. Some nests approach the size of the largest human cities on Earth. The Great Queen Imana acts as de-facto leader of the species. Most Queens defer to her as she is the eldest among them. Very few know how old she truly is, but it is rumored that she is well over one hundred thousand years old. In her extreme age, she rarely moves from her massive throne chamber, but she entertains visitors constantly.

The Kre'Toran Drones and Soldiers are the ones most readily seen outside the nests. Soldiers possess massive strength, which has caused them to be in great demand for Federation commanders in Starfleet. When Kre'Torana was first visited by the Federation in 2407, they were met by a delegation that included Imana in a special yacht she had designed for the occasion. The Federation scouts were surprised she was as knowledgeable about the Federation as she was, only later finding out that Queens have massive telepathic abilities allowing them to view events across several light years. A treaty was established within hours, and Drones and Soldiers were provided to Starfleet as a courtesy.

With a moment alone, Edgar finished his tea and went back to the bridge. "Mr. Solek, what's the status of our crewmen?"

"Captain I'm pleased to announce that Mr. Troi has passed the test and Admiral Quinn has now formally approved the promotion to ensign that was pending the outcome."

"Oh that's great! How's Crewman Guyton faring?" Solek frowned at his captain's inquiry.

"Her behavior and written test results imply that she will not pass." Solek explained.

"Understood. Has Starfleet Medical gotten back to us regarding our request for a new medical officer?"

Solek frowned. "Yes, captain. All they can spare is a young Cardassian."

Some of the present crewmen on the bridge turned in shock at Solek's remark. Edgar opened his mouth to speak, paused, then spoke. "Bring him aboard." More crewmen stared at the captain and first officer. "If the crew have a problem, they can note it in their log. As far as I'm concerned, this ship is being structured to be a bunch of misfits, so why not embrace our diversity?"

Solek wanted to smile at the captain's remark, but he merely nodded. "Aye, sir. I'll notify his commanding officer of the request."

---

On the surface of the planet in Starfleet Medical, Turek's commander approached him near his station. "Ensign I'd like a word with you."

The CO began walking to his office expecting Turek to follow quickly, which the young Cardassian did so at a quickened jog to catch up. "Sir, if this is about the gene therapy treatment I used on nurse Kelly to resolve her astigmatism I can assure you I know what I was doing."

The two individuals entered the office and shut the door. "Turek...we have been in this office discussing your actions far too often over the past three months. I think it would be best if you were away from Starfleet Medical for a while."

"Sir, I don't fare well on space ships..."

"Well, then maybe you can whip up some gene therapy to get over that issue. My hands are tied on this, the New Orleans has requested you in her sick bay. She is scheduled to leave orbit in ten minutes, but they're waiting on you. Dismissed."

Turek left the office feeling rejected and passed off. No one spoke to him as he traversed the corridors of Starfleet medical, finally arriving at the transport bay to take him to his apartment building. Inside, he noted how fond he was of the place, in spite of it's rather Spartan accommodations. He threw as much into a single duffle bag as he could manage. Before he left, he glanced over his home and shut off the lights.

---

It was a short walk from the transporter room on the spacedock to the New Orleans. Upon arrival, he saw Edgar and Solek waiting for him at the entrance. "Dr. Turek, I presume?"

"Yes. Is the captain available I would like to speak with him soon." Turek stated, looking very preoccupied.

"Doctor, I am the captain." Edgar stated. "Edgar Calvin, nice to meet you."

Turek stared at Edgar with disdain, "So you're the reason I've been pulled off solid ground?"

Edgar's eyes narrowed. "Doctor, welcome aboard the New Orleans. When you're done settling in, report to the bridge. We'll discuss this matter then. Solek, do you mind showing the doctor where his quarters are?" Solek nodded, and Edgar spun on his heels to walk briskly back to the bridge.

"This way, doctor." Solek indicated the opposite direction. Turek felt like he was eating foot.

"I wish to retract my earlier comment. It was unnecessary."

Solek turned to see what Turek was saying, "Please remember in future conversations that the captain was far less opposed to bringing you aboard as chief medical officer than I was. As it stands, consider it retracted. These are your quarters."

Turek looked inside the room he was assigned, glazed at the fact he was appointed chief medical. "Understood...sir."

[[Episode 1.3]

Captain's Log, Stardate 87728.9: Repairs to the New Orleans have been completed...again. Chief Engineer Ishii has shown his value many times while getting the repair teams and engineering staff working at full capacity. A side note, the emergency return to Earth has allowed us the opportunity to finally obtain a full crew compliment. It feels strange to be a mere Lieutenant and already in command of such a vessel and crew.

"Computer, end log. What's the status of Crewman Guyton and Troi's Bridge Officer training?"

"Crewman Guyton and Crewman Troi are performing the practical test."

"Inform me when they've completed."

"Acknowledged." The computer beeped the command confirmation and proceeded to go silent. The door chimed shortly after.

"Enter." Edgar said, allowing the doors to open and reveal Ambassador Sokketh standing there. "Ambassador...to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"There is no pleasure in my presence, Lieutenant. I came to inquire to the nature of this voyage. Will I actually get to P'Jem this time, or are you planning to confine me to quarters and go play hero again?"

Edgar's eyes narrowed. "Ambassador, my orders are strictly to ensure your safety while taking you to the monastery on P'Jem. It did not say anything about your comfort level or making sure you were pampered. If you wanted a better ship or a different captain, you should make the request to Admiral Quinn."

Sokketh stomped towards the door shouting, "I made such a request and he denied me."

Edgar let the ambassador leave the ready room, where Chief Engineer Ishii stood waiting to enter. "Come in Ensign, sit down."

"Thank you Sir." Aron-Mu said as he sat on the couch. "I wanted to inform you all engineer teams are now operating at acceptable standards. We're ready to launch on your order."

"Excellent news. I'll have Mr. Troi send a request to traffic control once he returns from the Bridge Officer certification." Edgar said, moving to the replicator. "Sweet Tea, iced."

"Sir, permission to speak candidly?" Edgar nodded at the request. "Is there a reason you've yet to stop by engineering to give a visual approval?"

Edgar looked up from his glass and tried to read Aron's body language. "Is there something you haven't written in your reports?"

"No sir, I just thought you would want to see if I was running things efficiently." Aron stated, sounding a slight embarrassed about the comment now. Edgar picked up a PADD and examined the report it read.

"You've got crew productivity up 300%?"

"Most of that increase is from the labor influx, sir." Aron-Mu dismissed.

"And would you not be counted as part of that labor influx?"

"No, sir, I would..."

"Then the arrival of the labor influx is a moot point. I see no need to micromanage such efficiency. Do you need the visual approval?" Edgar asked, taking a sip.

"No sir...I guess not." Aron-Mu responded, now feeling completely embarrassed. "I should get back to engineering."

"Understood; dismissed." Edgar replied watching Aron-Mu stand and leave the ready room. "Ensign Ishii..."

The ensign turned, concern wore his face at what the captain would say next. Edgar simply smiled, "It's good to have you on board, Ensign. Keep up the good work."

Aron-Mu smiled in relief, "Thank you, sir."

alternatively, there is this one:

http://www.hillschmidt.de/gbr/sternenzeit.htm

gives a date fairly close to the method listed above...

For those interested in making an Enhasan character or bridge officer, this is the template Chemkarate is using and I've referenced. Cheers!

Memory alpha

I kind of doctored mine a wee bit but I love DS9 too, so here's my favorite view ;)

Following the meeting, Maggie returned to her lab and continued going over her notes from the interviews she had conducted with the bridge crew. After a time, she looked up from the padd and decided to replay one she had recently been reviewing.

"Computer, activate holoprojectors and replay interview file 'Borg Attack on Vega Colony, Dr. Chet Redwing.'. Begin at the chapter 'Attack on Medical'."

The computer chirped an affirmative and created a holographic version of Redwing in the chair he had been sitting in when Maggie had originally conducted the interview. Maggie's own disembodied voice began the reprisal with a question.

"So you were in the Pandora's medical bay when the Bord began boarding the ship?"

Redwing nodded and his eyes drifted slightly downward as memories of the attack came flooding back. "Yeah. Dr. T'vol and I were taking care of people who had been injured as a result of ship-to-ship fighting. Without warning, Borg started appearing in the medical bay. I remember Dr. T'vok and I immediately looking at each other and knowing we were thinking the same thing: Crusher Manuever."

"Crusher Maneuver? A flight pattern?"

Redwing let out a laugh and shook his head. "No no, not that kind of maneuver. The Crusher Maneuver is a name that we jokingly give to a standard procedure used in case of Borg attacks on a medical bay. You activate the holographic crew and have them distract the Borg while the organic staff and patients escape through a rear escape route. For reasons that aren't entirely understood, the Borg can't seem to recognize that its just a hologram. It doesn't work very long, but it buys precious seconds, especially now that we have holographic security details that can wield weapons. Dr. Beverley Crusher came up with more than 30 years ago and its been taught at Starfleet Medical ever since."

"Ah, I see. So you activated the ESH detail in the medical bay to counter the Borg invasion. What happened next?"

"Well, actually, we activated the EMH and handed him a phaser. The Pandora's medical bay doesn't have the holographic projection capability for an entire security detail. Anyway, with the Borg already in Medical, we had to do instant triage. All walking wounded were directed toward the rear exit, which thankfully the Borg hadn't beamed in front of. I grabbed a wounded patient that could walk with assistance and helped them to the exit. Dr. T'vol went to do the same... but... she was intercepted by a drone. I... I couldn't do anything, so I got my patient into the exit and locked it behind me. Seven patients got out... the other five were assimilated along with Dr. T'vol."

"Assimilated? That's unusual. Borg boarding parties don't usually assimilate small groups of individuals, especially not those deemed to be a threat."

"They also don't normally board and invade the medical bay. When they do..."

"It's to take over a ship. But these Borg didn't stick around. Other crew members I've interviewed have all said that the Borg boarded, attacked, and then beamed back out."

Redwing nodded. "Yup. I noticed the same thing when I talked to others after the attack. There's one other item I noticed that you might be interested in. You've checked the crew manifest, right? To see what members of the crew were abducted by the Borg?"

"Of course. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. All crew that were abducted were taken from the areas the Borg beamed into: the Bridge, Engineering, Medical, and Security."

"That's right. Here's the thing though: cross-reference that with the inventory that was taken when we got back to Earth Stardock. There were huge numbers of supplies missing from Engineering, Medical, and Security. I found that out after doing my inventory of Medical and finding a bunch of stuff missing. My interest was piqued and I looked at the entire inventory when it was completed." Redwing cocked an eyebrow. "Haven't you read my report yet?"

"Well... no... not yet. I haven't had time. I wanted to get this out of the way first."

"Well, take a look at it. You'll also discover that the Borg beamed into another area that no one noticed, because no one was there at the time: the cargo bay."

"The cargo bay!?" came Maggie's disembodied voice with an incredulous tone. "That's... highly improbable. That has never been a target in any recorded Borg boarding."

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I've observed. Either that was the Borg, or someone on board is a an opportunist without a shred of scruples. Between those two choices, I'm going with the Borg."

Maggie looked away from the hologram of Dr. Redwing and back to her terminal. "Computer, end playback. Display all ship items that were indicated as 'missing' after the Borg attack on the Pandora."

Maggie's terminal blinked to life with a list of items and quantities. She examined the list carefully, looking for any trends or abnormalities. The first thing that struck her was that a number of the stolen items, especially from the cargo bay, were very common and not remotely close to contraband. There were even a number of high-nutrition food packs that were taken, which had practically no value even in legal transactions. Most of the engineering supplies were pretty mundane as well; plasma conduit packs and the like.

"If this was the work of an opportunistic thief, it's a really bad one," she muttered. "This is more like a... no, that's impossible."

She scanned the list a few more times, but she kept coming to the same conclusion. This wasn't the haul of a thief looking to make a quick buck. This looked more like the work of someone who was trying to survive.

Captain's Log, Stardate 87723.2

We have picked up a number of new crew assignments to the Pandora at Starbase 117. It is comforting to no longer be in command of a starship that is operating on a skeleton crew, but is instead fully staffed. Of course, this also means that we have received our first standing order from Starfleet. I must admit, given the conversation I had with Liuetenant Matoya upon her arrival, I am surprised at their nature. However, I must admit some relief that I will have more time to prepare this crew for the work I believe Starfleet has in mind for us.

Oren-De entered the conference room and allowed himself a small smile at the sight. All six of his bridge officers were present, and it was a reminder that he was finally in command of something more than a skeleton crew. The Pandora now had the necessary resources to conduct its work for Starfleet, and it gave the Enhasan no small amount of satisfaction to know that. It just felt right, and Oren-De was confidant that the ship and her crew would soon be operating at peak efficiency. War'en in particular noticed Oren-De's grin and raised an eyebrow at it, though he could only wonder at what was the cause for this rare show of emotion. Sometime he found himself wondering if Enhasans weren't just Vulcans with cranial bone grafts and skin coloration.

"Lieutenant Matoya," he began as he took his seat, "what is the status of your interviewing project?"

Maggie was practically beaming as she looked around the table. "I'm pleased to report that in the last few days I was able to complete all the necessary interviews. I'd like to thank everyone for being so cooperative, especially given the difficult nature of the subject. I know that these memories aren't pleasant for any of you."

Redwing couldn't help but glance over at Talona, who was now looking down intensely at her padd. However, he was more surprised to notice, out of the corner of his eye, that Shrel was also looking at her. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn it was out of concern.

Wow... maybe the big lug actually does have a shred of empathy in there.

Oren-De didn't seem to notice the exchange between his officers as he moved the meeting on. "I am glad to hear that, Lieutenant Matoya. On a related note, I have been impressed with how well this ship has been functioning since I came aboard. I was initially worried there might be some problems with the crew working together with the recent influx of new personnel, but I am relieved to see that has not been the case."

The officers nodded but didn't verbally respond to the compliment. From behind his visor, Will looked around the room. Despite, or perhaps because of, the unique way that he saw the room, he wasn't entirely sure that Oren-De's assessment of the crew was correct. Still, this wasn't the time or place to be disagreeing this his new captain, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Our standing orders have come in from Starfleet," Oren-De continued. "We are to assist with patrol of sectors along the border between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Klingons and their allies have taken advantage of the distraction afforded by the Borg attack on Vega, and Starfleet feels that an increased presence is needed to protect worlds and ships in that area. We are currently enroute to the Eta Eridani sector. With that in mind, all departments should be operating under hostile patrol protocols, as we may have little notice prior to a Klingon encounter. Are there any questions?"

The staff shook their heads. The rest of the meeting continued with little incident, much to Oren-De's satisfaction.

Cheers - have now got it sorted - something to do with the vagaries of Microsoft I.E that I have - I love you Bill Gates.... am now running through Safari n its working fine :lol:

Freedom Server, but not played in awhile. if STO is good, i won't be back to COH for awhile yet.


I was in COH since the first closed BETA, and have loved it.. but I get kind of bored with the 'end game' content. They do everythign else right, though!

I have to admit, I get bored with games once I've achieved what is available (without worrying about every badge or accolade.. sometimes, I just don't care about the small fry)

Anyway, my global is @Prelate

I am a veteran of EVE as well.. but shut my account off in october. I got burned out, after 13 months of hardcore play. I'll be back though