Star Trek: Season 7 - Masquerade

[iceman]

Myella sat in her husbands office monitoring the computer screens as the bioscan readings began to filter in from the various nurses as they tried to keep up with mass of crewmembers who decided to all come in to sickbay at the same time to complete their mandatory physicals.

This had been the busiest the sickbay had been in days, but Myella was glad for the distraction as it prevented her from worrying about her husbands upcoming away mission. Her thoughts had drifted back to just over a year ago when she was reunited with Casey and how she helped him recover from the devastating effects of the Virus that the crew of the Tiberius been subjected too. During this time her feelings for her now husband had been rekindled and they had fallen in love and married. She vowed that she would try to the best of her ability to protect her husband from such dangers whenever possible.

Myella had made a mental note to talk to Dr. Drett and thank her for caring for and watching over her husband as she believed it had been Dr. Drett who had been mostly responsible for her husbands survival and recovery from virus.

Myella's thoughts quickly came back to the present. She grabbed her tricorder and proceeded out of her Husbands office and proceeded to help the nurses with the backlog of physicals that had been steadily piling up all afternoon and would be glad when Dr. Drett Arrived back in sickbay to lend a hand.

[institches]

"I am a horse," signified the scent of the steed she rode, almost identical to each mount.   There was no "I'm hungry," "I'm nervous," "I'm the angry horse you don't want to ride." It made the holocharacters mere manniquins. The holodesigns could definitely be improved upon from the Fertillian's point of view. The holographic people were much the same.

Moreover, Spring Farmer's special skills in enhancing peaceful coexistence and cooperation were only useful among her living counterparts. Sevryll's homey scent was mirrored in Aria, coupled with a vaguely unsettling mechanical note. She then noted the smell of baby soap and glanced at the trio of men behind her. Yes, that made sense. She redoubled her concentration, opening her gills wide to note changes in the holoprogram.

The horses trotted easily through the snow. Spring, unable to perceive the mood changes of her mount, bounced along, occasionally gripping her hardened leather helmet to keep it from pitching off. That was when she noticed the switch. The road ahead appeared unchanged but, just to the right of the path, Spring noticed a new smell. She slowed and slipped off the blood bay mare, absently patting the white blaze on its forehead.

Sevryll reigned in. "Ensign Farmer, explain your reason for dismounting."

Spring blew a calming breeze of Vulcan gespar toward the commander. "Sire, I think I may have found a shortcut. If you'll permit me..."

The vulcan nodded her acquiescence and Spring bent to examine a treestump: it had been a huge oak, cut approximately ten years ago, if the holodeck program was to be trusted. Jutting from the side of the stump was a large lumpy burl. This was the source of the scent: coffee-sodium. She had noticed it before in holoprograms and it always denoted a key of some sort. So it gave her an advantage. Spring would use it for all she was worth. She pressed on the burl, leaning all her weight into the push. It gave. She smiled back at the watching party as the treestump split. Hah! I belong here. I am a valuable member of this crew.

The rest of the party watched in amazement as Ensign Farmer fell headfirst into the "magic" treestump, her translator changing the sudden strong fragrance of rosemary and ammonia into a loud yelp.

[wraith1701]

Joint Post by HawkeyeMeds, Jen and Wraith1701


D'callan and K'Tan walked with their weapons ready. Ahead, the trees moved in a mystical fashion, the sun was setting and light grey fog drifted high above a distant castle. K'Tan looked slightly impatient with his companion but D'callan wouldn't let the conversation drop.

"Go on."

"I have told you all there is to know."

"There must be more K'Tan. Come on."

K'Tan stopped and looked directly at D'callan.

"I have told you every swear word there is. Why do you insist on
knowing the translations from English to Klingonese?"

D'callan smiled at K'Tan.

"So i can know what you are saying when I beat you at cricket next week!"

The conversation was interrupted by a startled cry from the new Fertillian ensign.  K'Tan and D'callan rushed back to the party to find them gathered around a gaping hole in the forest floor.  "What happened?" K'Tan asked. 

"I am not certain," Commander Severyll replied.  "But it appears as though ensign Farmer has discovered a possible shortcut."

As the sounds of the ensign's frantic attempt to climb out of the hole echoed from the black pit, the atmosphere abruptly changed.  The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and a preternatural fog began to swirl around the trees.  The faint sound of a flute could be heard in the distance.

D'callan raised his hand to signal the party to stop behind them.

"There is danger here, my friends."

K'Tan peered into the gaping maw, trying to locate the ensign.  While he admired her courage and the perceptiveness that had led her to discover the shortcut, he felt that she could benefit from tempering her impulsiveness.  The eager new recruit, he thought wryly.  She reminds me a lot of myself when I was an ensign.  K'Tan smiled.  Farmer's powers of observation would make her a definite asset on any away mission.  Besides; he always felt calm and collected in her presence.  The ensign seemed to emanate an infectious aura of well-being.

As a soft wind began to blow, the mist surrounding the party thickened, and the sound of the flute became louder.  D'callan turned and walked towards Sevryll.

"Begging your pardon, my lady. I believe we may have found Merlin."

The Vulcan had heard the flute well before the others; she had also heard the Security Chief's warning of danger. "And you believe we should be cautious," she asked.

D'callan removed his helmet and looked up at Sevryll.

"Caution indeed my Lady. Merlin is well known for his magical prowess. I would be surprised if the wizard is not watching us at this very minute. From what i have read Merlin can shape shift and has a pendent for comical shenanigans. He has great power and we would be foolish to think of his jestering as weakness"

Sitting astride her horse, Severyll watched the group gathered around the mysterious hole, quietly assessing the situation.  She then looked back to the Chief.

"Considering our last encounter, lieutenant, logic dictates that we proceed with care. What would you suggest?"

D'callan turned quickly and signalled for K'Tan to come over.

"I believe Ma'am that Sir K'Tan should be the one to consult in this matter."

As the slightly disheveled Farmer emerged from the hole, assisted by the sprite-like Aria, K'Tan returned to Sevryll's side.  He pensively stroked his chin as he considered the possibilities.  "If I recall correctly, Merlin is supposed to be an ally of the king.  But his legend is shrouded in mystery; we can't be sure if he truly has the King's best interests in heart, or if he views the king as a pawn to be manipulated for his own ends.  It is possible that Merlin had a hand in the king's disappearance.  What we need to do is determine whether or not he is an ally, or an opponent."

Both Commander Severyll and Lt. D'callan looked on expectantly. 

"What do you have in mind, Mr. K'Tan?" asked Severyll.

"We have to cover all of our bases," K'Tan replied.  "If Merlin's powers of perception are anything like they are reputed to be, there is no way for us to approach him unobserved, even if we use this shortcut.  We should therefore use the direct approach, and not bother to hide our presence.  But we can hide our intention." 

K'Tan directed his attention to Commander Severyll.  "I propose that we approach him openhanded.  Dunn, D'callan and I will pose as  mercenaries; you, Aria, and ensign Farmer will pose as our captives.  We can say that after the King's disappearance, we came across you and and took you captive.  Not being the sharpest batleths in the arsenal, we decided to bring you to Merlin to see if there was a ransom for you.  His reaction to your capture will tell us all we need to know:  If he is outraged, we will know that he is an ally.  We can reveal our true intentions and enlist his aid in recovering the Captain... er, I mean the king.  If he is pleased that you have been captured, we can assume that he is somehow involved in the kidnapping of the king."

"And then what?" asked D'callan.

A sinister smile formed on K'Tan's face.  "Then we take Merlin down.  Even a wizard would be hard pressed to take on an armed group in close quarters.  He will reveal the king's location to us, or he will die."

[Geekyfanboy]

Lieutenant Took strolled down the long corridor, heading to The Afterburner. His shift had just ended, and because Lieutenant Commander K'arath was detained on the holodeck, Took was in charge of Engineering. He enjoyed the responsibility of running the department and the staff seemed to accept him as their commanding officer... but in the back of his mind there was a voice that whispered that their respect was based solely on the fact he was the Captain's partner. Took shook that thought out of his head—he had earned his title as Assistant Chief Engineer and they respected him for it.

As he entered the lounge he saw the trill doctor sitting near the view port with a Vulcan. He approached Ryla Drett with a broad smile, "Good evening Doctor."
"Hello, Mr. Took." She said, returning his smile with a dimpled version of her own. "How are you?"
"I'm doing very well, thank you, just coming off of a double shift" Nic glanced over at the elderly Vulcan.
"Oh, where are my manners? Lieutenant, this is Commander Sevryll's mother, Doctor Sareth."

Took raised his right hand and split his fingers to create a V symbol. "Live long and prosper", The elderly Vulcan gave Nic a nod. He turned back to Drett "So I see you're not taking part in the training mission either." Took had met Doctor Drett on the Tiberius and had told her all about his Camelot program. She seemed interested in helping him complete the project, which they did. Unfortunately they never got to enjoy it—the Lucas Virus had seen to that.

"Nope... I'm now the Assistant Chief Medical Officer and duty demands that I take care of things while Doctor Peterson is out of the office."

"Oh, congratulations Doctor. Yeah it's funny all that time we spent building that holoprogram and when it's used for the first time neither of us are there to enjoy it."

"I'd still like to see it. Maybe we could plan a trip to the holodeck when the mission is over?" Took laughed "It's a date."

[iceman]

Dr. Peterson walked up beside The Commander and added " From what I understand about King Author and Camelot, He is probably being held at Morgan Le Fay's castle as she is the Nemesis of Merlin and would have the most to gain by The Kings Capture. She is a very Dangerous women who's Magic is on par with Merlins and from what I have read was Even responsible for the imprisonment of Merlin for a time."

The Crew Looked surprised by Dr. Peterson's Extensive Knowledge of the the subject as was Commander Sevryll who's only response was a slightly raised eyebrow.

Peterson looked at K'Tan and said, "I think caution would be the better part of valour, as from what I have read on this subject I don't think Merlin will be as easy to take down as you think, or Morgan Le Fay would have already done it, I think it is very unlikely that you would be able to surprise Merlin as no one knows exactly how old he is, and he is not as frail as he appears to be."

"I think it is very Likely that he would kill you before you would have the chance to kill him, I do agree with you that he is very likely manipulating both sides to serve his own purposes and for that reason we must take what he says with a grain of salt. I fear that if you attempt to attack him you could put all our lives in danger."

With that the crew looked at Commander Sevryll for an answer to the debate that went on Between Peterson and K'Tan. They all watched as they could see that Sevryll was carefully waying the points that her senior officers had made.

[Jen]

Ryla thanked Doctor Sareth for her advice, nodded to Lieutenant Took who sat at the bar, and rushed out the lounge doors. The trill was running late for her next appointment. In fact, her patient was probably already in Sickbay, waiting for her arrival. She did not know Lieutenant Commander James well, but the trill was fairly certain he was a punctual man...he had to be to climb to the rank of Second officer. In contrast, Ryla Drett was always at least three minutes tardy, wherever she went. She was conscious of this fact and had made a concerted effort to amend the issue. Her new position would call for promptness, but it obviously wasn't about to happen on her first day as assistant CMO.

The corridors were busy with crewmen who brushed passed, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Each hurried on their way to fulfilll obligations given to them by various superiors.  Ryla picked up her pace—she had responsibilities as well.

The petite blond entered Sickbay to find Aeric James waiting patiently for her to return.  She was only four minutes late but late nonetheless... "I'm sorry Lieutenant," she said as she grabbed a medical tricorder and crossed the floor to meet him.  "How are you today?" Ryla offered him a dimpled smile and set to work.

Aeric smiled warmly and mentally put his nanites into a dormant mode to allow for more accurate scans. "I'm quite well doctor. I thought I would get this physical complete before I got back to getting my department on schedule. How are you doing?"

Aeric had met the doctor here and there but it only recently dawned on him that she might be the second or third oldest member of the crew. It wasn't the same as an unbroken lifespan, but he didn't truly have one of those either. "Doctor, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

She glanced up from her tricorder to consider the question. She wasn't the sort to be sensitive about her age but she couldn't help but wondered why he would ask. She chalked it up to small talk and answered with a sparkle of humor, "Well, Drett is 300, and I am 30. So collectively we are 330. I guess I'm not as youthful as I appear."  She moved to her station and collected her Data PADD. "Since we're on the subject of age...how old are you commander?"

He chuckled at her comments before replying, "I'm almost a century old. In perspective to humans and vulcans, I'm hardly a teen."

"I'd say you're just a baby," she teased.

He had spent several decades of his youth exploring the length and width of the Federation, but there were few uncharted places that he had found himself. He had made friends, enemies, and lovers on his adventures, but he had yet to leave his mark upon the universe.

"Due to the circumstances surrounding my birth and life, I've technically lived longer, but for the first time in it, I've actually been thinking about my future. I think that I've been trying to live in the moment for so long that I haven't taken advantage of the gifts of my heritage. How does one's perspective change after the second century?"

"That's a difficult question to answer and I'm afraid I'm not much of a counselor, sir." She continued to scan him with the tricorder as she thought aloud,  "...I think of change as an unfamiliar territory that everyone is forced to cross at some point. It brings new people and situations into our lives and adds dimension to an otherwise flat existence. Drett still struggles with change, but as far as my perspective on life is concerned, I would say the importance lies not in trying to determine our life path or destiny, but in effect of how much growth we accomplish within one lifetime and how many people we help along the way." She glanced up from her tricorder and remarked uncomfortably, "Sorry, that sounded pretty sappy didn't it?"

"Not at all Doctor, not at all," Aerc continued. "As much as I like the councilor, I don't think that the Federation trains their personnel to effectively deal with the perspective of the longer lived races. I've only recently found out about the other side of my heritage and if I don't die in an unfortunate accident, I might have a long life ahead of me. As you pointed out, I'm just a baby for my species and I don't know what I'm going to be when I grow up."

Aeric smiled as the scans proceeded. His machines gave him a consistence stream of bio data, but it was not his field of study. He knew normal from not normal, but it was through the efforts of the medical personnel that he found ways to fine tune his systems and enhance their efficiency.

"My scans indicate that you're in perfect working order. Would you like a lollypop, sir?" she asked with a wry smile. Ryla moved to the jar where Doctor Peterson kept his supply of hard candy and handed a piece to Aeric. "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to get your physical out of the way. I enjoyed the conversation commander."

"As did I," He said. "I would love to hear more of your lifetimes in the future."

[Jen]

Joint post by Rico, Jen, Wraith1701, BryanCD, JustX, HawkeyeMeds and Iceman:

The snowfall had begun to steadily increase in the Caledonian Forest. It was becoming more frigid and the vulcan commander hated the cold. She pulled her cloak about her more tightly—her breath condensing in the air as she expelled it.
The slender woman glanced from Doctor Peterson to Lieutenant K'tan. Since childhood Sevryll had possessed an insatiable curiosity for history—not just of her own world, but that of others as well. It was her nature to examine, research, analyze, investigate and scrutinize everything, including the background for the program that served as their training sim. She arced an eyebrow at Doctor Peterson's suggestion; he had obviously done his homework as well.

The daylight was slipping away as the two officers debated their next course of action. Their party would need to find this "Merlin" and soon. She attempted to restrain her body's instinctive response to cold, yet her teeth chattered anyway, "Thank you for your insight doctor. The Arthurian mythos states that Merlin was an elder adviser to Arthur, not his enemy. Yet in "Lancelot-Grail" it is says that Merlin never did any good in his life, only evil. Arthurian tales abound in inconsistencies." She pulled the hood of her crimson cloak over her head and stepped towards the enchanted entrance that Ensign Farmer discovered moments before. "Lieutenant K'tan's plan is a plausible one... we will proceed with caution." Sevryll turned back to look at Margon, "Counselor, is your wagon stocked with rope?"

The Bolian counselor chuckled. "Commander, this thing is stocked with everything. How much do you need?"

K'Tan acknowledged Doctor Peterson with a brief nod, then turned to approach Margon's wagon. "We shouldn't need much," he said. "The goal is to give the appearance that the Commander and her attendants are captive, without actually restraining them. In the event that they are called on to participate in a melee, they should be able to slip loose of their bonds with minimal fuss."

"We should also make sure that our weapons are within reach should we need them," Aria interjected. K'Tan quirked an eyebrow at the svelte half-vulcan. Try as he might, he couldn't get the image of the young woman casually dispatching her foes in a whirlwind of flashing steel out of his mind. As far as he was concerned, her considerable martial talents were being wasted in the medical department.

"That's a good point, Ms. James," he replied. K'Tan turned to Chief D'callan. "Lieutenant, what do you think about ensign Dunn holding on to the weapons of our 'captives'?"

D'callan slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds like a solid idea, mate." D'callan waved Dunn forward. "Ensign, you are going to be our armory officer on this mission. You will hold weapons in reserve for Commander Sevryll and her attendants. I need you to be sure that they are concealed, but readily available. We might need to distribute them at a moment's notice."

"Understood, sir" Dunn replied smartly.

As Dunn began searching the back of Margon's wagon for something with which to conceal the weapons, a mischievous smile quirked D'callan's features. "And loose the hat," the security chief added. "We want to impress and intimidate Merlin, not make him die of laughter." Dunn removed his hat and rolled it up and looked back up at D'callan who winked at him.

K'Tan and D'Callan stood together checking their weapons and then hiding them so they would be out of site. "I think you should have my mace mate. Those two sticks you used to call a staff won't be much use."

D'Callan held out the unused mace and K'Tan held it aloft, "this may not be Excalibur but it will do a fine job."

Turning to the party they could see that the snow and resulting cold was beginning to take it's toll. Lieutenant D'Callan turned to K'Tan, "We should begin, this weather will start to chill the bones and we need to be on guard at all times against this wizard".


As Ensign Dunn rummaged through the back of the wagon, K'arath stepped up next to him. "Excuse me Ensign," he commanded. Dunn immediately obligated. K'arath reached in and found the item he had concealed in the wagon at the start of the simulation. The item was wrapped in a tattered red blanket. He walked back over to where K'Tan and D'Callan stood. They looked quizzically at him as he unwrapped the blanket revealing his gleaming b'atleth. K'Tan favored him with a knowing smile as K'arath hid the weapon behind his back beneath his tunic.


"For close encounters," K'arath said with a grin, "I will be part of the captured party, providing for an element of surprise when the trap is sprung."

[X]

Joint post by Rico, Jen, Wraith1701, BryanCD, JustX, HawkeyeMeds and Iceman:

Aria James slowly shed her clothing of weapons. From her back, she removed her short bow and quiver. A small chopping ax was pulled from the small of her back. She removed her weapons belt and the short swords that they held. She had worked hard on her outfit and realized that extra weapons might be the difference between life and death when they found themselves on the other world. A dagger was pulled from each boot before she turned to her soon to be captors. "For the sake of the wizard's preternatural senses, I am going to completely disarm but I don't recommend doing the same if we are captured on the away mission."

She glanced at the small arsenal scattered around her before removing a silver and obsidian scalpel that had been hidden in her right bracer. She still retained a sliver of obsidian in her boot heel, but it would only be a tool for escape as its size prevented it from being an effective weapon. She hoped that she had followed the spirit of period and had been suitably armed in the troubled land. She was now a huntress without the tools to hunt a simple hare.

Dunn got on one knee before the assembled 'captives', and unfurled a large animal-hide tarp on the ground.  The ensign sorted the weapons as quickly as he could, taking care not to cut himself on the cruelly edged swords and daggers.  As he began to roll up the bundle, he was cut short by a hand landing softly on his shoulder.  He looked up to meet the expectant gaze of ensign Farmer.  "Excuse me, ensign Dunn.  You forgot my weapon."

K'Tan gently cleared his throat to draw the Fertilian's attention.  "I'm sorry, ensign Farmer," he said.  "I appreciate both your courage and perceptiveness, but we need you to stay here and help guard Counselor Margon's wagon.  We already have three prisoners-- Commander Severyll, Aria James, and Chief Engineer K'arath.  It would be pushing credibility to show up at Merlin's doorstep with the 'captives' outnumbering the 'captors'.

"Of course, Sir," replied the ensign.

As ensign Farmer slowly walked away, Dr. Peterson approached K'Tan.  Peterson removed his sword belt and handed it to the Chief Tactical Officer, along with the concealed throwing knives that were hidden under his robes.  With a sigh, he reluctantly placed them into his crewmates hands. K'Tan Looked at Casey and gave him a smirk of approval as he took the weapons.

K'Tan stared at the Doctor for a moment, then said, " OK Peterson, where is it?  Where is the other knife you have concealed?"

Casey stared at the Commander, and with a straight face replied, " I don't Know what you are talking about K'Tan."  K'Tan stepped closer to the Doctor and folded his arms. As he stared at Casey, a low growl rumbled in his throat.

Dr. Peterson knew better then to argue with K'Tan.  Despite his human appearance, the tactical officer still held the potential to react to confrontation with the violence that his Klingon upbringing had ingrained in him. Peterson proceeded to remove the remaining four weapons that were hidden under his garments, then moved to hand them to K'Tan.   K'Tan smiled, and slowly shook his head,  "Never mind, Doctor; you keep those." He gave Peterson a friendly smack on the back. "You have a fighter's heart, Doctor.  We will make you into a Klingon Warrior Yet."

K'Tan nodded his head towards Margon, Farmer, and the wagon parked at the edge of the clearing.  "There may still by highwaymen stalking the forest.  We need someone to remain here to guard our rear, and to keep watch over our supplies.  Your courage and spirit are needed here."

Gripping his weapons with grim determination, Peterson nodded his head and walked off to rejoin the group at the wagon.

Lieutenant Zremm came upon the merry band of adventurers as he was searching the forest.  He and Ensign Barton had slipped away into the woods for a brief time but now were back searching for the others.  As Zremm came out from behind a very large oak tree he gave his friends a large smile.

"Hello everyone.  Sorry I've been ahh, distracted for a time.  Are you still on the hunt for this Merlin?"  Zremm asked as he clasped Marie's warm hand in his and she moved to his side.

Sevryll eyed the Andorian suspiciously, "Indeed. We could certainly use your keen sense of hearing, Lieutenant."  She wrapped her cloak a bit more tightly as the wind kicked up.

"I am at your service, my lady,"  Zremm said with a quick flourish as he pulled out his scimitar.  Zremm whispered something into Marie Barton's ear and she grinned wide and blushed slightly.  She then released Zremm's hand and courtesied slightly to the group.

"Good hunting everyone.  See you later on, blue boy."  She said with a smile and wink to Zremm as she moved off into the forest.

"Is Ms. Barton not joining us?"  K'arath said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"She is going back to the inn.  She was just here playing a minor background character.  And when were you planning on telling me she made it on board, K'arath?"  Zremm said, a slight icy tone in his voice.

"For your information, 'blue boy.'  She told me to not tell you.  I think the lady wanted to surprise you."  K'arath said as he moved slightly towards Zremm.

"Enough.  You will focus on the mission."  Sevryll said, with more of an air of command than she intended.

Back at the entrance to the mysterious portal, D'Callan held out a some rope to K'tan. "You take K'arath and Aria, I'll tie up our Queen". K'tan walked over to the two crewmen and flexed the rope at them while Lieutenant D'Callan headed towards Sevryll.

"I'm afraid, my lady, that I must now tie you up.  Would you please hold your hands out?"

Sevryll extended her hands as D'Callan tied them together; her eyes remained focused on the proceedings.

"Is that too tight?" asked D'Callan.

Sevryll didn't flinch "I'm fine Lieutenant."

As he twisted the final length of rope into an intricate loop around commander Sevryll's wrists, he placed the rope-end into the commander's hand.  "As I've explained to the others, this is a trick knot," D'callan said.  All you have to do is tug at the end in your hand, and the entire knot will unravel."  He gave a wink and a grin as he stood up.  "Just a little trick I picked up a few years back."

"Is there something wrong with your eye Lieutenant D'Callan?" asked Sevryll in a slight undertone.

"No, ma'am." he replied as held the rope out to K'Tan who took it and tied it to his rope and pulled the two parties together.

K'Tan smiled, "We have our prey."

"Has anyone considered the odds of this possibly working?" Aria asked and lightly tested the bonds. The idea of being a captive was not something that she was comfortable with even on the holodeck. "If the wizard cares for the Queen, the captors might find themselves in more danger that we captives."

"And what if the wizard doesn't care for the Queen?" K'Tan interjected.  "If this proves to be the case, and we simply march in assuming he has no ill intentions, both the captors and the captives will be endangered."   K'Tan  turned and gazed into the depths of the waiting  portal.   "The most sound course of action is the one that minimizes risk.  It is better to risk half of our group than to risk all six."  He turned back to Aria and regarded her with a firm stare.  "Your concerns are noted, Ms. James, but we will proceed as planned."

Back at the wagon, ensign Farmer rejoined Doctor Peterson and Commander Margon.  The trio looked on as Commander Sevryll's group cautiously approach the mysterious portal.  The eerie, ethereal sound of flute music echoed from the portal, and seemed to grow louder as the group drew nearer.  "It's like something from A Midsummer's Night's Dream," Peterson murmured.  "Pan's flute."   Farmer sighed in frustration.   "I don't see  why I have to stay behind," she grumbled.  "This is only a training mission, after all."

Margon smiled, and laid a consoling hand on the ensign's shoulder.  "Part of training is learning to accept and follow orders, ensign.  Sticking to the game plan is vital, especially on a real away mission.  Besides," he continued.  " This may be only a holodeck simulation, but even holodeck sims hold the potential for danger."

A hint of sadness touched the counselor's features as he thought back on the last, painful days of the Tiberius.  On reflex, Margon covered the lapse with a grin.  "Why, I remember hearing about a crewman who was almost eaten by a holographic shark on our last ship!  The point is, never take your safety for granted, and don't be too eager to walk into the jaws of danger, even if it is only make-believe."

Margon's eyes were drawn to Severyll's group.  As he looked on, the party slowly descended into the dark, enigmatic portal.  As they vanished into it's swirling depths, Margon looked back at ensign Farmer.

"After all; I get the feeling that there will be plenty of the real kind to go around on our upcoming away mission."

[Geekyfanboy]

Quinn sat in a dark and damp room, the only light was coming from a one by one foot window on the left wall. There were chains hanging from the walls and ceilings and the air was filled with some sort of foul smell that Quinn though could be roting food.  Quinn's arms were shackled behind his back and they were slowly falling asleep. He tried shifting his weight to get the blood flowing but instead managed to snag his tunic on a sharp rock cutting into his shoulder. "Great" Nathan said outload to no one in particular. "Let the computer create it's own story," Quinn said in a mocking Sevryll's voice "it will be more enjoyable for the crew.. I don't recall anything about Arthur being kidnapped." Quinn laughed and shock his head in amusement at the situation he was in. It's been about three hours since his kidnapping and he was hoping the crew would arrive soon to his rescue.

Suddenly his badge chirped. "Lt. Tucker to Captain Quinn" Quinn went to press his comm badge from underneath his tunic when he remember that he arms were shackled behind his back. "Computer, remove shackle's".. Nathan felt the cold metal disappear from around his wrists. He rubbed feeling back into his wrist before pressing his comm badge. "Quinn here.. go ahead Lt.", "Sir I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is an Admiral Telesk requesting to speak to you immediately." Quinn sighed, "Very well Lt. I'll be there in a few minute's... Quinn out." He stood and called out to the computer "Arch!!" The arch materialized out of thin air, as Quinn proceeded out of the holodeck he noticed an elderly man entering the chamber with a look of shock on his wrinkled face. Nathan walked down the corridor he debated on contacting Sevryll and the others to let them know he was no longer in the holodeck. He laughed outload and thought to himself.. "no I'll let them continue to look for me.. it will be good practice." Quinn's smile broden as he entered the turbolift, "Bridge".

[Meds]

A Joint  post by Jen, Hawkeyemeds, Just X and Wraith 1701

The flute was amplified within the tunnel as the haunting melody floated on the stale, damp air like boat on a gentle current. Its resonance became clearer the deeper they traveled within the dark warren.  K'tan's torch lead the way as Sevryll, Aria and K'ararth followed close behind.  Next in line was ensign Dunn.  As he carefully made his way down the dark passageway, the bundle of weapons slung across his back clanked softly in time to his footsteps.  Lieutenant Joseph D'Callan brought up the rear as his eyes fought to recognize the shadow shapes created by the torches they carried.

Sevryll glanced to her cloned daughter, who twisted against the bindings. She knew that her discomfort was not physical, and was concerned for her psychological welfare, "are you alright?" whispered Sevryll.

Aria steadied her breathing, "I will be fine mother, but I do find a bit of discomfort at the process and idea of being bound. There is something disconcerting about losing one's freedom, even in a simulation." She could not express in words how it felt when she first drew breath again and could move where she wanted to go. She had been confined for far too long and had since vowed to cherish every moment of her freedom.

Sevryll had never known confinement and could not begin to understand the depth of distress felt by her daughter, whose Katra had once been detained by isolinear circuitry. There were no logical statements that would still Aria's fear, therefore Sevryll resigned herself to the only comfort she could give: a reassuring touch. In a collected motion, she bushed her bound hands against Aria's. To a touch telepath, physical contact was often limited, for it served as conduit for their abilities...yet Aria required the benefit of this skill. Circumstances prevented Sevryll from performing a true meld, but she believed their shared genetics would bridge the gap created by their situation. Without a word, the elder woman closed her eyes and evoked a sense of peace, in an attempt to call Aria from the darkness of her own thoughts. Then she gently pushed a shared memory of Vulcan's setting sun, which the two had often observed from the garden outside her ancestral home.

Aria smiled softly as the tension of the situation melted away. She prided herself on her emotional range and the mechanical ability to remove those emotions, but she also valued her logic. She knew that for her to benefit from the positive emotions, she needed to accept and experience the negative ones as well.

"Thank you," she said and gazed from the other captives to the captors. She admired the conviction of the tactical officer even when she knew his logic to be flawed. It was not her place to correct his mistakes, but hopefully be around when he learned from them. Still, it was better to be a helpless captive than a traitorous knight. In her brief time in the universe she had come to accept the passion of the Klingons and the Vulcans, who in her assessment, were not too dissimilar. She would have to study the human more to see how he coped with existing with such intense passion. Would it flaw his logic?  And what of the security chief who had noticed her mother's beauty? Would he be foolish enough to apologize or retract that statement and make a greater fool of himself? There was infinite diversity everywhere she turned.

As the group made their way down the gravel-strewn path, K'Tan noted an especially low collection of stalactites a few feet ahead.  Turning back to warn the party to lower their heads, he caught the eye of the young Vulcan girl watching him intently.  As he met her gaze, she made no attempt to hide her observations.  "The ceiling appears to be especially low for the next few meters," he said.  " Mind your heads."

K'Tan quietly considered the enigmatic girl.  Based on his few interactions with her, he believed that she was an ardent adherent to the Vulcan philosophy.   And yet her obvious fighting ability flew in the face of his preconceived notions of Vulcan behavior.  What makes her tick? he thought to himself.  He sighed quietly, resigned to leave the puzzle for another day.  One thing was certain, in any event.  Despite her apparent conversancy with fighting, she seemed to have a healthy dose of her people's belief in their infallibility.

The rocky course soon curved and the incline increased, causing them to be more careful on the loose gravel scattered upon the steep path. K'ararth refused help as they proceeded through the subterranean conduit. Yet Sevryll was not as quite as tenacious, and allowed K'tan to guide her down the steep slope. When they reached the bottom, the music that had been leading them was silenced like a candle's flame put out for the night, leaving the hollow sound of wind through the tunnel to replace the eerie melody.

[X]

A Joint  post by Jen, Hawkeyemeds, Just X and Wraith 1701

D'Callan's eyes strained to focus and his mind fought to retain its concentration, but it broke when he heard a strange noise from behind. He quickened his pace, drawing close behind his bound colleagues. "Down!" echoed his voice. The party ducked and Joseph held his arms out over Sevryll and Aria as hundreds of screeching bats flew over them. Lieutenant D'Callan felt the displacement of air stir his hair as they sped over him. Looking up, he saw K'Tan protecting the captors with his arms as well.  As the last of the bats swirled round in front of them, they began to build speed and combine into a single mass. K'Tan growled as a light began to build in the center.  As it intensified, so did the resulting heat, causing the tactical officer to back off in order to keep the others safe.
Above them the rocks split and smoke bellowed from the gaps. "K'Tan! What the hell is happening!?" Shouted chief of security. Lieutenant K'Tan glanced up and was just about to respond when a tremendous roar came from the mass of glowing bats.

The sudden convergence of winged creatures formed a figure shrouded in fire. Aria tensed at the tone and pitch of the voice, but waited quietly for their captors to reveal their plan.

The radiant form slowly raised its hands, paused for a few seconds then threw them down. A fireball enveloped them causing everyone fall to the floor. When they looked up, they were no longer in the damp passageway, they were in a grand chamber. Curtains made of velvet gently fluttered in the cold breeze, and before them stood a wiry old man. His robes were filthy and his long white hair was held out of his eyes by a thin gold band. His leathery lips moved allowing a gravely voice to bellow, "Who are you?"

K'Tan and D'Callan scanned their new surrounding, in search of possible advantage points and escape routes."We bring you gifts," answered D'Callan.

The voice came again, "Gifts?"

Joseph moved forward while K'Tan gripped the rope that held the individuals being presented.

"Sir, we bring you the traitors of King Arthur."

The old man eyed his prisoners, before settling on Sevryll, "A beautiful gift."

D'Callan glanced back at the tactical officer and mouthed the words, "I told you."
K'tan flicked his eyes up and addressed the elderly man, "We seek the wizard known as Merlin. In exchange for this information, we will present the captives to you."

The old man, kept his eyes on Sevryll. Ignoring K'tan remark he replied,
"Arthur was right, she is more lovely than the Lady of the Lake."

"Then you know Arthur.. Are you Merlin?" Asked K'tan.

"Yes, I know Arthur well...I am the one whom you seek, " replied Merlin matter-of-factly. "Why have you brought his Queen to me in this manner? Does she deserve such treatment? Perhaps you are the traitors..." He made a gesture with his hands and the ropes fell from the three captives. "I apologize for your ill treatment, lady Guinevere. Have these men mistreated you?"

"No. Thank you for releasing us." She turned her gaze back to D'Callan and then to K'Tan, as if to reassure them, then cautiously stepped forward. "Merlin, Arthur is missing. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

The old wizard thrust his open hands forward  and the former 'captors' flew through the air. Their momentum slowed as they approached the far wall, and their bodies were held against it as he replied, "A portal of light swallowed Arthur before my eyes. I could do nothing to stop it."

Sevryll couldn't help but smirk at the mention of "a portal of light". His account could describe the holodeck's arch, or a "Jack-In-The-Box" written into the program to make the story more 'interesting'. She glanced to Aria and then to K'ararth, who shared similar thoughts.

"Computer, pause program. Release Lieutenants K'Tan and D'Callan." The two officers fell to the floor with a thud. "Computer, where is Captain Quinn?"

A lackluster feminine voice replied nonchalantly, "Captain Quinn is on the bridge."

[Jen]

Sevryll forced herself not to bristle as she turned on her heel and glanced at the rafters high above, "Computer, end program." As the setting vanished, Counselor Margon, Lieutenant Zremm, Ensign Farmer and Doctor Peterson were revealed on the opposite side of the room. Margon fell to the floor, as his Blacksmith's wagon disappeared along with the holo-environment. The vulcan apologized and would have explained, but she knew the officers who waited outside the tunnel had heard the computer's one-sided conversation.

Her voice echoed slightly as the resonance changed in the now devoid room, "Your involvement in this simulation has allowed you to observe a primitive people's belief in mysticism, and magic. You have witnessed first hand monarchial hierarchies and customs; familiarized yourselves with beasts of burden, archaic technologies and weaponry.  And you have worked together to seek a missing individual concealed by a shrewd yet superstitious and violent populace." As the temperature increased, the vulcan commander removed her cloak and draped it over her arm.

"To protect the world we will be exploring, from a universe teeming with cultures far more advanced, its secrets have been closely guarded by the anthropologists who study it. For this reason, our knowledge is limited. I have no further information regarding the society we will be infiltrating and I see no need in continuing this program. We will know more after we leave Starbase 35. The captain and I will brief you on any details we glean at that time. Until then, you may consider your training concluded." She nodded to the officers and headed to the bridge to speak with Captain Quinn. She didn't bother to change her clothing— there was no time for that. Nathan's failure to inform her of his exodus denoted an emergency in Sevryll's mind and she was intent on aiding him.

The woman, clad in a black arming doublet entered the bridge but the captain was not there. She caught the eye a con officer who turned to see her striding from the turbolift. His confused look was met by a raised brow—he interpreted her silent message and nodded to the ready room. From inside Captain Quinn heard the chime and granted her entry. "Enter."

The first officer stepped through the door and made her inquiry in a voice cloaked in a thin veil of stoicism, "Captain, has something happened?"

[X]

Joint post by Just X and Omra

Lieutenant James and key members of his staff sat in his office and waited for the last of those he had requested to arrive for the daily operations briefing. Due to the nature of the coming mission, he would be relying on them more as he would need to fill other duties on the ship.

Korridan entered the office carrying a burden of heavy and coarse fabrics over his shoulder, he inclined his head and smiled at the Lieutenant, "reporting as ordered sir."  He sat in the chair the Lieutenant gestured to, and noticed the curious gaze at his burden, "Aah this..." he handed the fabrics over to his superior, "I had noticed that the costumes our crew were wearing into the holodeck looked much too nice."

He held up his PADD, "According to what little I have been able to dig up so far, the indigenous people wear durable and simple woven materials."  He pointed to the uncomfortable looking fabric the Officer was inspecting, "I figure if our insertion teams are to blend in they will need more authentic outfits, not made with the high fiber count or synthetic fiber materials we are used to."

The nod he received encouraged him to continue, "And I was wondering if we could impregnate the materials we use with a unique isotope or a byrillium tag so we may be able to track them better, despite the planets local interference."

"And how would you feel about using Mackies unique talents to create scent packages for our teams to use," he noticed the perplexed expression on his shipmates faces, "well, they didn't bathe back then, and they sure didn't use Cologne or deodorant..."

Aeric raised a brow. "It depends on where you went chief. Not every ancient culture shunned proper hygiene, but I will suggest the recommendation. The same goes for the clothing. I will make the recommendation, but from my own travels, I've learned that while something might look similar to Earth, it isn't exactly like Earth. We have to be careful to not assume what this culture will be when placed under a microscope."

Aeric motioned for him to take a seat. "I think that you are on the right track, but we're not there yet. We don't need the initial clothing to be exact replicas of their clothing. Even if we did, we couldn't pull it off without having access to what their clothing looks like. Colors and styles might make a serious social impact. Detailed clothing might need to be replicated on site."

Korridan nodded and smiled,"understood sir." He surveyed the room and nodded to the others gathered there, and returned a few subdued yet polite waves.  His attention returned to the impressive figure behind the desk, "Whats on today's menu?"

[Omra]

Joint post by Just X and Omra

Rina smiled softly, while she wasn't Aeric's assistant, she was the one he depended on when it came to the shuttle bays.  She had been surprised to see the new faces that had been invited to the daily briefing.  Her commanding officer was one of the most thorough men she knew and it showed in his prep meetings.  "I think we are going to need to get the Aurora ready for ferrying the passengers to the surface.  I think that it's time we put the infiltration system into use and I would further recommend we install Infiltration Systems on the Tiberius and Shadowfax runabouts."

Aeric nodded in agreement, "That makes sense.  We need more than one landing capable ship to call upon for this mission.  If we run into trouble, we need to be able to get our people out.  Let's plan on needing the the Tiberius and Shadowfax for the mission and make sure we have pilots and modifications ready at launch time."

Korridan raised an eyebrow, "Infiltration System?"  His voice cautious and suspicious, "That doesn't sound like the usual thing a 'touchy feely' politically correct Federation vessel would have."  His gaze drifted between both Rina and Aeric, "This isn't going to get us in trouble with the Romulans is it?"

Rina laughed, "It's a proprietary system that the Aurora features, but it is not a cloaking device.  The letter and spirit of the Treaty of Algernon are respected."

Aeric nodded, "Starfleet knows the Aurora has the system and they have no problems with it.  Other Federation ships have similar systems."

"Really?"  Korridan looked skeptical, but willing to listen, "what is it exactly, if I may ask?"

Aeric looked from Korridan to Rava Ronan.  "It is a holographic system that creates a sheath around the vessel.  It does nothing to hide the ship from detection.  It merely alters what external forces may detect.  It is designed with landing on first contact planets in mind, but we have made a few advances to it for the Aurora."

Korridan nodded, "Handy, I was afraid we would only be able to support our people doing 'night runs'...  He grinned, "This will make us more accessible to our teams without the threat of further contamination."  He looked over to Rina, "I look forward to working on this system, and learning from you..."

Hooch's gravely voice was filled with mirth, "Aah shucks, does this mean no more blacksmithing?"  Korridan chuckled along with the old mountain man.

CPO Rava Ronan sat quietly during the meeting, but it was his job to be Lt. James' assistant and that meant he needed to give his opinions.  "Lieutenant, I will contact the various department heads to find out who they will be leaving in charge during the away mission.  Once we have that list, I can give my recommendation"

"That will be fine Chief,"  Aeric said as he looked at the people that formed the spine of his department.  He had other officers under his command, but it was in these meetings that he called on his Cheifs to step up.  "Rina, I want the runabouts to be modified and tested by the time we reach our rendezvous point to drop off our passengers."

"Korridan, you should get familiar with the runabouts and the new systems we are installing," Rava added.  "I want you on the short list of people trained to use the system."

[wraith1701]

After the end of the holodeck simulation, K'Tan headed back to his quarters.  Patches of snow from the holo-environment still clung to his archaic costume, and the broken bits of his battle staff were still tucked in his waistband. 

Stepping into his room, he paused and briskly stomped his feet, shedding the last remnants of the quickly melting snow.  The door slid closed smoothly behind him as he removed the broken ends of his staff.  K'Tan approached his replicator, prepared to recycle the bits of computer-generated wood, then stopped himself.  He studied each piece, remembering the camaraderie he had experienced while wielding the weapon in the mock-combat.  The fight had only been a simulation, but the joy he had felt while fighting alongside D'callan, Dunn, K'arath and the other crewmates had felt real.     

He turned from his replicator, and instead went to the small display shelf above it.  The shelf was empty save for a single, gleaming silver dagger.  A series of Romulan glyphs traversed the length of the dagger, each deeply etched into its shining blade.  After briefly studying the knife,  K'Tan pushed it slightly aside and reverently placed the bits of broken wood next to it. 

He was eventually drawn away from his keepsakes by the insistent beeping of his personal comm-panel.  The Lieutenant Commander took a seat, and activated the LCARS display.  Flashing on the screen was a shipwide communique from the medical department:

Per ship regulations, all personnel are required to report to sickbay for a full physical within the next 72 hours.

" Dor-sho-gha!" he quietly cursed.  More than anything, he hated visiting the sickbay.  He considered himself to be in perfect health, and felt that such trips were a waste of time.  But the rules were the rules.  K'Tan scrolled through the screen, and selected an appointment slot for the following morning.  Might as well get it out of the way, he thought.  His eye strayed to the leather-bound book laying on his end table- an ancient Earth book on military tactics and strategy called The Art Of War.   

But first, he thought, a long hot shower, perhaps a glass of warm milk, and a few hours reading which will hopefully lead to a restful night's sleep.