A F T E R M A T H

[Steile]

"Attention all hands!"
All crew members are recalled to USS Dewey for immediate departure. Modifications will have to wait...

Helm, calculate course and best speed to join Task Force 72!

Comm, Hail General Kelley and Admiral Turner with my compliments. Notify them we will depart upon completion of crew recall.

[Major General J.L.Kelley]

Now hear this.......

All crew and personnel posted to the USS Centurion; we are to be under way in less than 2 hours you are to report to your duty stations immediately. Tardiness is not an option. All loading and security teams redouble your efforts, loading and tie down of all cargo and auxillary vessels must occur prior to departure; all weapon systems must be at operational readiness as well. Col. Yoshinda and Capt. Anderson; your presence is required ASAP in the Operations ready room.

That is all
General Kelley

[mbrwn2003]

USS Solace to Midway; We are close to your location, what is your status, and how are the wounded?

[Major General J.L.Kelley]

Col. Steile,

Got your message, thanks, best of luck on your mission. We'll rendezvous at a later point as missions allow.

General Kelley

[Major General J.L.Kelley]

As I proceeded through a hall that lead to the Centurion, I hastened to get my thoughts in order. There are times when the feeling came over me that I was barely holding it together. Feelings of being alone in a lifevest on a vast roiling ocean, Doubts.....who doesn't have them? - Fears, concerns, a vast battle in ones' mind to keep the multitude of screaming voices to a dull roar. I had never compleatly silenced the cacaphony raging away, the expression oft came to me about the ultra fine line between brialliance and lunacy, I never really could come to terms with why, when my precarious balance on that line was at it's worst, the winds of destiny blew the hardest.
I wrestled with the voices hammering away inside my skull, control, I had to gain control - I was coming up on the Centurion and I had a vessel full of personnel that were counting on my leadership, not to just make it through, but to succeed as well. To triumph where others cannot, to be victorious despite any odds or any foe under any conditions with no excuses. I could not ask any less of myself than I could of any of those personnel under me, I would triumph over the voices and find focus once more.

[Solrac Yatug]

Back on the bridge, comm informed me of incoming course headings for the Nevada. "Helm, set course for (I glance quickly at the read-out) 169 Mark 20 DZ, warp factor 2." "Course laid in Captain", the Lt. says. My crew eases the big ship out of it's berth at SB 643 as I ease back in the Captain's chair and respond; "Engage". The bulkheads hum with an all too familiar vibration and the Booty Bay leaps into the nether at warp speed, heading for a rendezvous with TF72.

[mbrwn2003]

"Uss Midway, come in, this is the USS Solace, do you copy?"

(I wonder if they are alright over there; I have not heard anything back...)

[mbrwn2003]

(Hope the Midway is ok... I haven’t received a response)

I'll get a boarding party ready to check it out -

[Admiral Van Wormer]

Midway to Starbase 643, Personal for FADM Fortin....

"Sir, ENS Matthews and LTJG Lang, working with my Security Officer have identified a person of interest in our incident investigation. A Lieutenant Andrew Martinez was recorded by security monitors loading suspicious canisters aboard not long before our departure from SB 643. Records show he was previously assigned to SB 24, near Klingon space before reporting to SB 643."

My request is that Lieutenant Martinez be detained and transported to Midway aboard the next ship departing SB 643 for our position"

D.L. Van Wormer, Captain, commanding
Midway out....

[Steile]

2nd Lieutenant Talbot and Ensign Guardious are aboard Dewey. We are prepared for departure pending arrival of a special cargo.

[Admiral Van Wormer]

Midway to Solace....

"Thanks for the call! My injured crewman is recovering in our sickbay. Dr. Brackett anticipates a full recovery."

Captain Van Wormer, out.

[mbrwn2003]

roger that sir

[Solrac Yatug]

No Response yet from the Midway, but that is not unusual as we are at warp. I have informed my comm to keep all hailing frequencies open...

[Fleet Admiral E. Fortin]

Comm officer LCDR Stennis turns to me; "Admiral, incoming subspace communication priority code 1, from the Midway Sir." "On screen commander."

It was Captain Van Wormer; "Admiral we have reasons to believe that a LT Martinez stationed at Starbase 643 supply department maybe a person of interest in the possible sabotage of the Midway. We need to have him detained and transported to the midway post haste."

I tap my comm badge: "Security!", "Security here sir", "Dispatch and detain a LT Martinez supply division, deck 12, prepare interrogation room 4 for questioning."

"Comm send a message to the Midway. Don I will schedule for his departure your way asap, Starbase 643 out..."

[Major General J.L.Kelley]

I finally made it to the Centurion, and after a quick ride on the turbo lift, I made my way to the Oficers ready room. Waiting for me was Col. Yoshinda and Major Anderson. I tossed copies of our sealed orders to each of them.

With grim determination I addressed the two officers. "We are to head back into the dead zone. There are three planets we need to reconoitter, we'll simply call them as the following: DZ Alpha, DZ Bravo, & DZ Charlie; Admiral Fortin has identified reasons in the orders that detail why they need to be recon'ed.".

"They are all planets once 'cleansed' by the aliens. It appears DZ Alpha has an atmosphere still conducive to life, although on long range scans none is present, not too surprising of and by its'self but several prominent structures remain. Admiral Fortin has reason to believe that these might be gene banks or seed arks, so we will go and make that determination."

At this point Co. Yoshinda looked up and asked: "What kind of structures are they, they must have been exceptionally large or a hardened structure to escape destruction?"

I answered; "Indeed it appears that they are something on the order of 4 times the size of the great pyramid on earth, interestingly they are pyramidal in shape and built of stone as well."

Col Yoshinda followed up with a second question; "Did this race in some way determine the end was coming, could they have known?"

"We just don't know at this point it is hoped that these structures hold some keys, some answers to these sort of questions.", I replied.

Col. Yoshinda nodded, he knew the drill well enough..... as the point of the spear we will find the answers - that is what the Marines did...

"So moving on then, planet DZ Bravo, this planet has an atmosphere surprisingly high in O2. It appears that long range scans have determined that maybe one life form occupies the entire planets' surface, at least the land mass. That literally is all we know at this point."

"Sir", said Major Anderson, "a single giant plant organism maybe?"
I could only shrug in return, "your guess is as good as mine Major, a giant planet wide field of grass, well it could be a ranchers paradise I suppose, if it's true, again we'll find out when we get there."

"Finally, planet DZ Charlie."I slowly looked at each of the officers; "This planet defies explanation. It is small, devoid of atmosphere and unremarkable except for what appears
to be enclosures with a stasis field around each. Apparently sealed off from the world outside preserving....."
At a loss I spread my hands palm up and shook my head; "Preserving.......... who knows what. At roughly 25 kilometers to an enclosure they could hold anything, maybe a zoo or muesum of the destroyed for the aliens; we just don't know. What I do know is that it is high time we get our oars in the water and get underway."

"Col. Yoshinda, at your earliest convience retrieve Lt. Ghostface from his current task and give him his new assignment as head of the Centurions' Fighter wing, he will need to get the new wing ready ASAP as we will have need of their services very shortly."

"Major Anderson man your post on the bridge and prepare the Centurion for immediate departure, Col. Yoshinda and myself will make our way to the bridge shortly. I will meet with Lt. A. Mercer and give him his new assignment. Once that is handled I will have a chat with Lt. Ghostface myself. That is all gentlemen lets make it happen."

With our orders disseminated, I sighed........ next......."
I tapped my comm badge, "Lt A. Mercer make your way to the Officers ready room, time is of the essence."