Season 15: Episode 2 - Dominion Rising part 2

[Dranik]

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Dranik was uncomfortable in the Breen suit, it wasn't a matter of physical discomfort but rather the feeling of being closed in the suit. It wasn't something he had been looking forward to truth be told but he had no choice but to tolerate it for the sake of the mission.

Do the Breen actually find this comfortable? He thought to himself as he stood still with the others.

[Emperor J.B Dersch]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Cargo Bay One] - AWAY TEAM ONLY (twelve hours later)

Rayek had donned his suit without comment or complaint.  This by far not being even close to the worst attire he'd had to wear for a mission.

He could understand Commander Sisko's frustration at all the evidence of criminal activity they were being asked to ignore - but it was for a greater good.

At Commander Said's query, Rayek nodded.  "Yes, I have."  His PADD, he had tucked into a storage compartment in his suit.  Also in the compartment, was a Romulan designed device that would mask the power signature of the PADD and give off false bio readings for those within a 10 m radius of it.  Setting it to resemble a Breen lifesign had been tricky, but he'd had some help.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]
Rayek, in his role as Breen team leader, had been anticipated on the Bridge of Cloten's ship.  When Mackenzie dropped his act,  Rayek was tempted point it out to the Only that he should remain in character in case one of Cloten's subordinates thought to spy on his superior to learn his secrets, but the Romulan thought better of the idea.

[ENSIGN J.B DERSCH - SEC/TAC - SS ABANDON HOPE - BRIDGE]

After Suiting Up, He felt very uncomfortable, Not cause of the suit, but what ship they were on, A Ship Named Abandon Hope never makes you feel good. Wonder who dumb idea was to name it that, If I own this ship, everywhere I went would feel like I was going to get shot out of the sky or wait its space. He walked onto the bridge and Seen the Commander going over a PADD. he walked up and asked "Commander, Do you have any doubts on this?" The reason for asking that question, he wanted to know how confident his Commander was in this mission, so he could do the same. If The Commander had Doubts Dersch would confined in his own doubts, And Know he is not the only one.

[Jael Sherem]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Cargo Bay One] - AWAY TEAM ONLY (twelve hours later)

Rayek had donned his suit without comment or complaint.  This by far not being even close to the worst attire he'd had to wear for a mission.

He could understand Commander Sisko's frustration at all the evidence of criminal activity they were being asked to ignore - but it was for a greater good.

At Commander Said's query, Rayek nodded.  "Yes, I have."  His PADD, he had tucked into a storage compartment in his suit.  Also in the compartment, was a Romulan designed device that would mask the power signature of the PADD and give off false bio readings for those within a 10 m radius of it.  Setting it to resemble a Breen lifesign had been tricky, but he'd had some help.

[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Holodeck] (4 hrs AFTER undocking)

A timer he had set on his PADD went off alerting him to the fact that the team deserved a break.

"Computer - pause program."

Over the course of the past 4 hours Rayek had run simulation after simulation with the Away Team and in each scenario their disguises were always questioned by the Breen station staff when the current Universal Translators failed to translate the Breen language completely.

During the last hour, Rayek had the holodeck computer bypass and ignore the communications flaw in their plan, just so the team could actually reach the base for once and practice beyond that part of the scenario.   The results were varied.

"Good work everyone.  Take a half hour break.".

Rayek, in the meantime, would check in with Lieutenant Garrison to see if she and her team had made any headway with upgrading the translators -  it was clear communications were a crucial element of this mission.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]
Rayek, in his role as Breen team leader, had been anticipated on the Bridge of Cloten's ship.  When Mackenzie dropped his act,  Rayek was tempted point it out to the Only that he should remain in character in case one of Cloten's subordinates thought to spy on his superior to learn his secrets, but the Romulan thought better of the idea.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Dranik was uncomfortable in the Breen suit, it wasn't a matter of physical discomfort but rather the feeling of being closed in the suit. It wasn't something he had been looking forward to truth be told but he had no choice but to tolerate it for the sake of the mission.

Do the Breen actually find this comfortable? He thought to himself as he stood still with the others.

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Jael was surprised at feeling better at the drill she had. The focus and practice in the suit was good. Only the old translator screwed it up, but when the science people brought it in, the drills worked a lot better.

Then there was both the teams spending the night on a...very interesting ship. Stolen, graffitied antique on the outside - Jael could tell from the female siluoette that it was a ship stolen by a sleaze. She was very surprised by what was inside, and so were the rest of the away team. She had expecting decor on par with an Orion pirate ship. She was close, given the sparse Orion guards on every other door, but the comparison ended there.

In a nutshell, having read about Starfleet splinter groups since reading about the Maquis, she read about Turkana IV, and she felt like she had walked right into a Turkana warlord's bunker, and she meant bunker. It was dirty, from appearance to smell, and the various Selay bones added to the grisly decor. Jael could tell they were Selay given that she recalled the brieft that Cloten was one of the only remaining hardcore anti-Selay groups of Anticans in the Beta Renner system.

She was disgruntled that both teams were going to spend a few hours aboard. At least the drill preparations helped keep her mind of the smell and the Prophets-awful atmosphere.

Now, when they got their real suits, Jael wrinkled her nose. She had a feeling that whatever poor Breen was in that suit, the ugly fellow wasn't going to need it anymore. Keeping her own strong feelings about the Breen inside, she looked around. Dranik looked uncomfortable in the suit, and Jael was surprised. It was even the biggest Breen suit there was.

"Actually," she told him when he exclaimed about the suit, "the suit's designed to protect the individual inside. The Breen have an intolerance to anything above subzero temperatures; the suits are primarily designed to keep their bodies refrigerated."

She was a little surprised at how Dranik was taking this. She couldn't even tell whether or not he felt right at home in the psychotic furball's yacht. And, easily enough, her attention focused on whatever big lugs there were left. Mostly Nausicaans, and they were all staring at Dranik with interest. Specifically fascination. It made sense, Dranik was a Hirogen from the Delta Quadrant, and there were fewer people from the Delta Quadrant than from Gamma that anybody from Alpha and Beta Quadrants met.

Looking back at Commander (Rebecca) Sisko, she said, "Looks like our teams are almost ready, Commander."

"Good," said Rebecca. "I'll be up shortly with our 'hostage.'"

[Zavrol Gohun]

Gohun hated the Breen suit that he was in. It was cramped but it was comfortable. Gohun also hated the way his voice sounded when he spoke. It was harsh and metallic. This was not the same as Gohuns normal voice but things had to be done. With that Gohun went to the engine section and started to familiarize himself with the workings of a Breen ship.

[Jess Willard]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Cargo Bay One] - AWAY TEAM ONLY (twelve hours later)

Rayek had donned his suit without comment or complaint.  This by far not being even close to the worst attire he'd had to wear for a mission.

He could understand Commander Sisko's frustration at all the evidence of criminal activity they were being asked to ignore - but it was for a greater good.

At Commander Said's query, Rayek nodded.  "Yes, I have."  His PADD, he had tucked into a storage compartment in his suit.  Also in the compartment, was a Romulan designed device that would mask the power signature of the PADD and give off false bio readings for those within a 10 m radius of it.  Setting it to resemble a Breen lifesign had been tricky, but he'd had some help.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]
Rayek, in his role as Breen team leader, had been anticipated on the Bridge of Cloten's ship.  When Mackenzie dropped his act,  Rayek was tempted point it out to the Only that he should remain in character in case one of Cloten's subordinates thought to spy on his superior to learn his secrets, but the Romulan thought better of the idea.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Jess had put the suit on with no complaints, at least no verbal complaints. It was not only her first away mission as an officer, but it was also her first mission as an officer. So she wasn't going to be the one to complain about discomfort, even if she felt it. Instead she tried to focus on the body language of those around her. If she could study the way her people moved in the suit compared to their baseline and find nervous tells that overlap that she could still read through the suits she could find what to look for when they were talking to Breen. She had a pretty firm grasp on it pretty quickly and walked over to Rayek. "I think I'm ready if we get in a bind. If we get into a bad situation with them I just need you to stall for a few moments while I observe them. Then I think I can figure out how to exploit." She said in a hushed tone so only the commander could hear her.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge] - AWAY TEAM ONLY

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Jael was surprised at feeling better at the drill she had. The focus and practice in the suit was good. Only the old translator screwed it up, but when the science people brought it in, the drills worked a lot better.

Then there was both the teams spending the night on a...very interesting ship. Stolen, graffitied antique on the outside - Jael could tell from the female silhouette that it was a ship stolen by a sleaze. She was very surprised by what was inside, and so were the rest of the away team. She had expecting decor on par with an Orion pirate ship. She was close, given the sparse Orion guards on every other door, but the comparison ended there.

In a nutshell, having read about Starfleet splinter groups since reading about the Maquis, she read about Turkana IV, and she felt like she had walked right into a Turkana warlord's bunker, and she meant bunker. It was dirty, from appearance to smell, and the various Selay bones added to the grisly decor. Jael could tell they were Selay given that she recalled the brieft that Cloten was one of the only remaining hardcore anti-Selay groups of Anticans in the Beta Renner system.

She was disgruntled that both teams were going to spend a few hours aboard. At least the drill preparations helped keep her mind of the smell and the Prophets-awful atmosphere.

Now, when they got their real suits, Jael wrinkled her nose. She had a feeling that whatever poor Breen was in that suit, the ugly fellow wasn't going to need it anymore. Keeping her own strong feelings about the Breen inside, she looked around. Dranik looked uncomfortable in the suit, and Jael was surprised. It was even the biggest Breen suit there was.

"Actually," she told him when he exclaimed about the suit, "the suit's designed to protect the individual inside. The Breen have an intolerance to anything above subzero temperatures; the suits are primarily designed to keep their bodies refrigerated."

She was a little surprised at how Dranik was taking this. She couldn't even tell whether or not he felt right at home in the psychotic furball's yacht. And, easily enough, her attention focused on whatever big lugs there were left. Mostly Nausicaans, and they were all staring at Dranik with interest. Specifically fascination. It made sense, Dranik was a Hirogen from the Delta Quadrant, and there were fewer people from the Delta Quadrant than from Gamma that anybody from Alpha and Beta Quadrants met.

Looking back at Commander (Rebecca) Sisko, she said, "Looks like our teams are almost ready, Commander."

"Good," said Rebecca. "I'll be up shortly with our 'hostage.'"

Rayek had expected to be on the Bridge alone with the Commanders.  However, miscommunication occurred again and instead of his team waiting for him in the Cargo bay with Challengers Team members,  several of Discoveries Away Team made their way one at a time up to the Bridge where Rayek met them with a stern frown - which unfortunately because of the Breen suit couldn't be seen.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Dranik was uncomfortable in the Breen suit, it wasn't a matter of physical discomfort but rather the feeling of being closed in the suit. It wasn't something he had been looking forward to truth be told but he had no choice but to tolerate it for the sake of the mission.

Do the Breen actually find this comfortable? He thought to himself as he stood still with the others.

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Jess had put the suit on with no complaints, at least no verbal complaints. It was not only her first away mission as an officer, but it was also her first mission as an officer. So she wasn't going to be the one to complain about discomfort, even if she felt it. Instead she tried to focus on the body language of those around her. If she could study the way her people moved in the suit compared to their baseline and find nervous tells that overlap that she could still read through the suits she could find what to look for when they were talking to Breen. She had a pretty firm grasp on it pretty quickly and walked over to Rayek. "I think I'm ready if we get in a bind. If we get into a bad situation with them I just need you to stall for a few moments while I observe them. Then I think I can figure out how to exploit." She said in a hushed tone so only the commander could hear her.

Because the suits altered the sound of each team member's voice, it took Rayek a moment to recall which team member had that particular suit's design and coloring.  Willard? he queried in Federation standard while nodding in acknowledgement.  The Romulan then leaned in to reply back. "Good to know.  Hopefully you will be equally proficient in reading an actual Breen."

Despite Cloten having several suits on board, Rayek knew from his scan prior to boarding that there were no actual Breen on board. Or at least none in an area he was capable of scanning.  He had yet to check the ships' smuggling area (which would of course be hidden from scanners) but planned to do that as soon as he could slip away from Cloten and his watchful crew.

[ENSIGN J.B DERSCH - SEC/TAC - SS ABANDON HOPE - BRIDGE]

After Suiting Up, He felt very uncomfortable, Not cause of the suit, but what ship they were on, A Ship Named Abandon Hope never makes you feel good. Wonder who dumb idea was to name it that, If I own this ship, everywhere I went would feel like I was going to get shot out of the sky or wait its space. He walked onto the bridge and Seen the Commander going over a PADD. he walked up and asked "Commander, Do you have any doubts on this?" The reason for asking that question, he wanted to know how confident his Commander was in this mission, so he could do the same. If The Commander had Doubts Dersch would confined in his own doubts, And Know he is not the only one.

Of course, Rayek had doubts. It was only by being open to all various ways his plan could fail, did the Romulan discovery ways to improve it.  Though he knew Tess always professed honesty,  Rayek had learned that his silence was a better response most of the time, when honesty showed weakness to others.  Rayek looked to the Breen-suited team member - Dersch he believed - and gave a slight scoffing noise before addressing his team members who had invited themselves to the Bridge.

"Anyone of a rank less than Lieutenant, should NOT be on the Bridge. Wait for me down in the Cargo Bay." he called out, the vocalizer making his words sound even more cold than usual.

Gohun hated the Breen suit that he was in. It was cramped but it was comfortable. Gohun also hated the way his voice sounded when he spoke. It was harsh and metallic. This was not the same as Gohuns normal voice but things had to be done. With that Gohun went to the engine section and started to familiarize himself with the workings of a Breen ship.

Gohun would be disappointed to realize after but a few short moments that the engineering of the ship he was on (Cloten's ship) wasn't anything like a Breen warship or a Breen base for that matter.  And moreover Cloten had his goons keep the Starfleeters away from anything that could be useful.  Gohun would be 'escorted' back to the Cargo Bay and told to stay there.  Bunks and were set up in the Bay for the Away Team members.  It wasn't comfortable but it wasn't any worse than boot camp.
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Now that they were on the way, following the smuggling fleet, and the viewscreen deactivated, Nira removed her face section of the helmet so as to talk to Cloten. She gestured for Commanders tr'Lhoell, Belvedere and Sisko to do the same, and they conferred in a huddle surrounding Cloten.

Rayek was hesitant about removing his helmet while surrounded by Cloten's men.  All it would take was one to sneak a message to Sherem and their plan would be foiled.   Reluctantly, Rayek pulled off the helmet.

"œOkay, we're on the way," she said. "œHow long do you estimate we'll be at our destination?"

"œThe Breen station," said Cloten, "œin the Panora system's Kuiper Belt, currently occupied by the Breen, currently focused on raids on Veloz Prime to soften for conquering, and popular home turf for Old Man Nehor Sherem"¦I got ears, don't I?"

"œAs long as your ears are used correctly," said Nira in a hard way. "œHow long until we get there?"

"œThree days."

Nira actually stared, gobsmacked, at a loss of words for a moment, before she said in quiet menace, "œWhat?" One could swear the whole bridge could've gotten so cold, the only way it could've gotten colder would be if it was a room for an unsuited Breen.

"œYou heard me. Three days."

Rebecca looked on at the exchange and admired how Cloten wasn't so much as quailing under Nira's gaze, those black eyes bringing to mind cold dark pits. She could even see Belvedere shivering, actually looking nervous at Nira's expression. Father would've liked this officer, she thought, bearing to mind how people often were intimidated by Benjamin Sisko.

"œYou could explain why in Allah's name why we're proceeding that damn slowly," said Nira, her fury evident in her near hissing whisper.

Cloten shrugged and spoke. "œBear in mind, this is a fleet that's moving at the normal pacing of a typical trading fleet. That's because it's supposed to look like a trading fleet on the outside, so it has to move like that. Nobody will look twice at a normal-moving trading fleet, and the only way one would figure out where it's going would be if one was really paying attention. Like your ships. And Deep Space Nine, now. We're maintaining our usual pacing so we don't look suspicious to Starfleeters. And now, to Breen. And Dominion.

"œBesides, we're heading for the Badlands, after all," said Cloten with a placating gesture, holding his hands up. "œWe have to take things slowly. Warp speed limits and all."

The silence was so total, a pin could've been heard. Nira finally breathed out, albeit it was short and tempered like a bull's.

"œFine," said Nira. "œBut in our maintaining our disguises, we will be watching you. If we catch you and your crew doing anything to give us away"¦"

"œYou'll kill me?" said Cloten in an unimpressed forestalling deadpan, looking at Kyan as he said it, remembering his words.

"œNo, but we'll make sure you'll regret it," hissed Nira. "œWe might even impound your ship and haul it back to Daystrom ourselves."

Now that got a reaction out of Cloten. The only indication in his deadpanness was his widening eyes.

"œYou wouldn't dare," he said in a squeak trying to sound like a growl.

"œWe. Very. Much," said Nira, looking around at her comrades.

"œNow the question is, what the hell are we going to do in this craphole?" asked Rebecca.

"œDon't worry, I got a holodeck on this ship," said Cloten. "œYou can run your usual programs and crap, and we won't be watching. It may have one or two bugs, though, so let my engineers know if it starts crapping out or you end up facing random animal women or Vulcan Love Slave characters instead of the usual goons you expect to fight in your program."

"œWell, all the same, we'll have to notify our ships of our slow progress," said Nira. "œHmmm"¦I think we can send a disguised transmission to let them know of our slow progress, and then when we arrive, the boy," she added, nodding at Kyan, "œwill "˜escape,' of sorts, find a terminal and transmit a call for help."

"œThis has to be the best snow job that I've been a part of," said Cloten with a manic grin. "œAnd the irony is on where the Breen come from."

"œYou realize that both teams are going to hate the idea of staying here three days," said Rebecca. "œThey can hardly stand this ship for three minutes."

"œThe fleet's preparing to make the warp jump," the helmsman called.

"œMatch their course and speed," Cloten said. "œWarp 8.5 until we get to the Badlands."

And with that, the fleet entered warp. Nira turned to Commander tr'Lhoell and said, "œLooks like we have some bad news to break to our teams. And we'll have to arrange a schedule for how long each team drills in Cloten's holodeck."

"œAnd our services are at your disposal," added Cloten.

Nira curled her lips. She didn't want to know about the services he had in mind. She hated to think what was going to be on the menu when the next meal came.

"œCommanders," she whispered to tr'Lhoell and Rebecca (she still couldn't place a finger on Belvedere, something was off about him), "œLet's inform our ships. Now, just to make sure, do any of you know Morse Code?"

Learning that it would take three days to reach the station, Rayek's suspicions of a trap grew.  However, the Antican's justification for taking his time..  made sense.

Commander Said's query about Morse Code seemed amusing to him.

At this point in his career, Rayek didn't think there was a single Starfleet ship that didn't use the old Earth code at some point or other.   In truth,  it was a rather simple code to break following the simple alpha-numeric switch.  Yes, it was archaic and likely not known to the Cardassians or Breen (much like it hadn't ever been encountered by him prior to joining Starfleet) but any decent code breaking software with enough of a sample could figure out the code.

So when it was Rayek's turn to send his message, Rayek added a layer of complexity to it.  A child's code that Saqa7 had introduced him to - Pig Latin.

..-. --- .-. / ... .- --.- .- --... ---... / . .-.. .-.. - .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / .- .--. - .- .. -. -.-. .- -.-- / .... .- - - .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / --- ..- .-. -. . -.-- - .- -.-- / .. .-.. .-.. .-- .- -.-- / . -... .- -.-- / .... .-. . . - .- -.-- / .- -.-- ... -.. .- -.-- .-.-.- / -.-. -.- . -. --.. .. . -- .- -.-- / .. .-.. .-.. .-- .- -.-- / .. --. -. .- .-.. ... .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / .... .- ... . -.-. .- -.-- .-.-.-

When Rayek, once more fully suited, finally made it back down to the Cargo hold he found that cots had been set up - one for each member of the Away Teams.  It seemed Cloten wasn't inclined to give them even basic accommodation during the three days.

He did a quick glance about and frowned when it seemed that they were missing one member.  It took a moment for him to figure out which teammember.  Gohun.

Using the Breen comm system Rayek called the El-Aurian back to the Cargo Bay, for an update.

Once everyone was gathered, Rayek tested the new translators to get across the information as he had the suit translate his Federation standard to Breen.

"Phase One plan has begun.  Smuggle fleet is moving - we aboard are Breen mercenaries.  I know suit is unhappy,  however wear at all times... until mission done.  ETA to Breen base and Melek Nor...  three days.  How understood?"

Turning off the translator Rayek had one more thing he needed to address and he didn't want to risk miscommunications.  He lowered his voice as he spoke so that ideally the sound wouldn't travel any further than their close group in corner of the large bay.

"If we encounter difficulties on the Base and I need to issue orders privately - I would like advance permission to contact each of through telepathy. I am a trained telepath - though my ability has a limited range"

[Jess Willard]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge] - AWAY TEAM ONLY

Rayek had expected to be on the Bridge alone with the Commanders.  However, miscommunication occurred again and instead of his team waiting for him in the Cargo bay with Challengers Team members,  several of Discoveries Away Team made their way one at a time up to the Bridge where Rayek met them with a stern frown - which unfortunately because of the Breen suit couldn't be seen.

Because the suits altered the sound of each team member's voice, it took Rayek a moment to recall which team member had that particular suit's design and coloring.  Willard? he queried in Federation standard while nodding in acknowledgement.  The Romulan then leaned in to reply back. "Good to know.  Hopefully you will be equally proficient in reading an actual Breen."

Despite Cloten having several suits on board, Rayek knew from his scan prior to boarding that there were no actual Breen on board. Or at least none in an area he was capable of scanning.  He had yet to check the ships' smuggling area (which would of course be hidden from scanners) but planned to do that as soon as he could slip away from Cloten and his watchful crew.

Of course, Rayek had doubts. It was only by being open to all various ways his plan could fail, did the Romulan discovery ways to improve it.  Though he knew Tess always professed honesty,  Rayek had learned that his silence was a better response most of the time, when honesty showed weakness to others.  Rayek looked to the Breen-suited team member - Dersch he believed - and gave a slight scoffing noise before addressing his team members who had invited themselves to the Bridge.

"Anyone of a rank less than Lieutenant, should NOT be on the Bridge. Wait for me down in the Cargo Bay." he called out, the vocalizer making his words sound even more cold than usual.

Gohun would be disappointed to realize after but a few short moments that the engineering of the ship he was on (Cloten's ship) wasn't anything like a Breen warship or a Breen base for that matter.  And moreover Cloten had his goons keep the Starfleeters away from anything that could be useful.  Gohun would be 'escorted' back to the Cargo Bay and told to stay there.  Bunks and were set up in the Bay for the Away Team members.  It wasn't comfortable but it wasn't any worse than boot camp.
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]
Rayek was hesitant about removing his helmet while surrounded by Cloten's men.  All it would take was one to sneak a message to Sherem and their plan would be foiled.   Reluctantly, Rayek pulled off the helmet.

Learning that it would take three days to reach the station, Rayek's suspicions of a trap grew.  However, the Antican's justification for taking his time..  made sense.

Commander Said's query about Morse Code seemed amusing to him.

At this point in his career, Rayek didn't think there was a single Starfleet ship that didn't use the old Earth code at some point or other.   In truth,  it was a rather simple code to break following the simple alpha-numeric switch.  Yes, it was archaic and likely not known to the Cardassians or Breen (much like it hadn't ever been encountered by him prior to joining Starfleet) but any decent code breaking software with enough of a sample could figure out the code.

So when it was Rayek's turn to send his message, Rayek added a layer of complexity to it.  A child's code that Saqa7 had introduced him to - Pig Latin.

..-. --- .-. / ... .- --.- .- --... ---... / . .-.. .-.. - .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / .- .--. - .- .. -. -.-. .- -.-- / .... .- - - .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / --- ..- .-. -. . -.-- - .- -.-- / .. .-.. .-.. .-- .- -.-- / . -... .- -.-- / .... .-. . . - .- -.-- / .- -.-- ... -.. .- -.-- .-.-.- / -.-. -.- . -. --.. .. . -- .- -.-- / .. .-.. .-.. .-- .- -.-- / .. --. -. .- .-.. ... .- -.-- / .... . - .- -.-- / .... .- ... . -.-. .- -.-- .-.-.-

When Rayek, once more fully suited, finally made it back down to the Cargo hold he found that cots had been set up - one for each member of the Away Teams.  It seemed Cloten wasn't inclined to give them even basic accommodation during the three days.

He did a quick glance about and frowned when it seemed that they were missing one member.  It took a moment for him to figure out which teammember.  Gohun.

Using the Breen comm system Rayek called the El-Aurian back to the Cargo Bay, for an update.

Once everyone was gathered, Rayek tested the new translators to get across the information as he had the suit translate his Federation standard to Breen.

"Phase One plan has begun.  Smuggle fleet is moving - we aboard are Breen mercenaries.  I know suit is unhappy,  however wear at all times... until mission done.  ETA to Breen base and Melek Nor...  three days.  How understood?"

Turning off the translator Rayek had one more thing he needed to address and he didn't want to risk miscommunications.  He lowered his voice as he spoke so that ideally the sound wouldn't travel any further than their close group in corner of the large bay.

"If we encounter difficulties on the Base and I need to issue orders privately - I would like advance permission to contact each of through telepathy. I am a trained telepath - though my ability has a limited range"

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Jess nodded in response to Rayek's first question. She'd had almost no exposure to the Breen, so it'd certainly be possible that she'd struggle somewhat to read them in comparison to the species she was use to, but she'd found that most humanoid species share the same tells of course. Then Rayek asked about contact telepathically. It was nothing new to her so it didn't bother her at all, she did however appreciate him asking for express consent before just doing it instead. "Of course sir. Non-verbal communication techniques are incredibly important. It's part of why I've learned sign, thoughI suspect that would be rather...difficult in these suits."

[Kinley Garrison]

Vila shrugged. "Probably it IS too long for the team. For them, I'd suggest sending a lexicon to their subdermal transmitters or in-ears and letting them figure it out from there. We can follow up with written words on a PADD," she said. "Or the transmitters, even." It was the best idea she had at the moment.

"Unless we can find something in the database-maybe someone has since done a more investigative look into their people, and made recordings of the speech." It was worth a try-ANYTHING was.

Doctor Betaika

[Science Lab 1 | USS Discovery]

When Kinley posed her question, the room went silent. After a few moments, Betaika spoke again; "œWell with the permission of the current Romulan government, here are a few files that they are allowing to share with you." Betaika placed a PADD on the polished desk with the file on display in the main window. "œIt contains mostly audio recordings of them speaking, and a little bit of security footage during one of their bases from the VhrKeth." Betaika offered. He paused and noted that the universal translator has not picked up that VhrKeth is a casual abbreviation of vhriin'daiel nneiketh, or the Dominion war in Romulan tongue. Betaika promptly corrected himself "œThe Dominion War".

[Science labs]
[not concurrent with time at the moment ]

Kinley nodded, pacing the floor. "œBrilliant! So That's our plan. We get every recording we can get our hands on, and see if we can download them to the Unimatrix and get the computers to analyze it." She turned to Betaika as he handed her the files from the Romulans.   "œThank you. This is going to help a lot.  As soon as we can get it to reasonably replicate their speech patterns, we're going to need to use your knowledge of their grammar to make it sound reasonably accurate. We don't have a Breen to test it against, so we're going to have to hope our simulations are good enough to at least ask where to go to the bathroom in Breen"¦ metaphorically speaking. "
Nodding to Ensign Lorut, she nodded. "œI agree. The sooner we get that transmitted to them, the better. If you can handle that transmission, that would be great."

"œI'll help you guys out with integrating the computer code systems. They're going out pretty soon, so we need to hurry."

[A little bit later]

They managed to get the systems up. Now all that was left to do was test it. She'd rather have more tests before going to a field test, but this was going to have to do. "œCommander Tr'Lhoell, we're ready with the new translator program for you to try out.

[Kinley Garrison]

[It won't let me quote your post for some reason, Rayek]

[as Kirayoshi]
[Discovery]
"œGotcha. I figure that we can at least bypass what they have and get us through.'

[a little bit later]
[SS Abandon All hope]
Kirayoshi wasn't expecting his mask to fog up majorly inside the disguise he was wearing, but it was, obscuring his mask. His bad luck, he supposed. But it was decent enough, even with the limited vision.[color= yellow]"œI've got the schematics all downloaded. Ready as we'll ever be. What about you guys?"  [/color]  He nodded, trying to ignore the butterflies of going down undercover. "I'm good with the telepathy. Not the weirdest thing that's happened to me. he smiled.

[Dranik]

SS Abandon All Hope
Cargo Bay

Dranik had left for the cargo bay as soon as Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell had said that anyone below the rank lieutenant should wait in the cargo bay. On the way down he had seen a number of crewman watching him with interest. I'm not very happy I'm drawing attention here, even with this thrice damned suit on, He thought. He was doing his best to blend in with the rest of the away team.

"If we encounter difficulties on the Base and I need to issue orders privately - I would like advance permission to contact each of through telepathy. I am a trained telepath - though my ability has a limited range"

Dranik nodded and spoke quietly enough for only the commander and the others in the away team to hear. "You have my permission to contact me telepathically should the need arise commander."

[Lorut Vila]

Rayek could see Dem and Vila keeping their Cardassian guest occupied.

"Ensign Lorut.  If you would... call the Away Team down to the Holodeck to resume scenarios.     They had anywhere from 6 to 12 hrs before the smuggler fleet were to arrive... he wasn't going to have his team waste that time.

Recalling that Garrison had tried to request the Bajoran Ops ensigns aid, he added. "You can join us after you've offered your assistance to Lieutenant Garrison and the Breen translator team."

She simply nodded. "Aye," she said, and called the away team, this time in double time. The Romulan may not scare her, per se, but she definitely realized that time was of the essence, and she wasn't going to take the fall if people didn't turn two-and quickly. "I'll be on Comms from the Science office, then, if you need me before," she said, standing up to head downstairs, FAR away from the Cardassian legate causing her turmoil.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinley nodded, pacing the floor. "œBrilliant! So That's our plan. We get every recording we can get our hands on, and see if we can download them to the Unimatrix and get the computers to analyze it." She turned to Betaika as he handed her the files from the Romulans.  "œThank you. This is going to help a lot.  As soon as we can get it to reasonably replicate their speech patterns, we're going to need to use your knowledge of their grammar to make it sound reasonably accurate. We don't have a Breen to test it against, so we're going to have to hope our simulations are good enough to at least ask where to go to the bathroom in Breen"¦ metaphorically speaking. "[/color]
Nodding to Ensign Lorut, she nodded. "œI agree. The sooner we get that transmitted to them, the better. If you can handle that transmission, that would be great."

"œI'll help you guys out with integrating the computer code systems. They're going out pretty soon, so we need to hurry."

[A little bit later]

They managed to get the systems up. Now all that was left to do was test it. She'd rather have more tests before going to a field test, but this was going to have to do.  "œCommander Tr'Lhoell, we're ready with the new translator program for you to try out.

Vila took the opportunity to relax a little bit, while still carefully reading through files for anything pertinent, while also fiddling with the computer systems. She was finally able to get it back online. It wasn't the strongest of her skills, but it wasn't the weakest, either. "Computer is ready, beam to Command," she advised the Science officer. "I don't know how long we'll be able to hold it, though, while they're on the ship," she said. "I'd expect there to be some kind of blocking technology." It was a good bet, after all.

[Lek]

[Engineering - USS Discovery]

Lek was sulking. He sat in his small office and pretended to be going through maintenance reports, but that was only to make it look like he was working. He'd made certain that the ship was fully operational prior to leaving Deep Space Nine and that included some fine deal making for spare parts he figured they might need. Thus, it wasn't like he was needed at the moment.

He was sulking because he'd never managed to link his schedule with Helga and now he was questioning whether they were just too different to make their relationship work. Engines he understood, relationships, he did not and it bothered him to no end that he couldn't 'fix' this problem. He stared blankly at the PADD in front of him without seeing it and wondered.

"How is it any species with two genders survive to procreate?"

[MoonDancer]

 =/\=Once more the doors to the turbolift open and he glanced over, noting the arrival of an unfamiliar felinoid... a Caitian hybrid he reasoned, given the mostly human features.  Distracted from the Legate, he watched as Security checked the Caitian woman's credentials and surprisingly allowed her entrance.

"Mr. Broadshire, if you would be so kind as to tour the Legate around the Bridge."

Rayek then stepped away and moved to intercept the Caitian.  "Who are you?  And who authorized your assignment to the Bridge?"

[Moon Dancer - Bridge - USS Discovery]

Moon eeped slightly at the angry words as a man walked into her way.

[Yeesh, Scare Master much?] Moon thought, suppressing a hiss.

"My name's Moon Dancer, Sir, and I'm for lack of a better description, second chair to flying this beautiful bird," Moon lowered her head respectfully, trying not to cause too much trouble her first day aboard.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck One - Bridge]  (Prior to Undocking from DS9) DAY 1 ~08:00

[as Kirayoshi]
[Discovery]
"œGotcha. I figure that we can at least bypass what they have and get us through.'

Rayek hoped the man was right.  His team was security heavy with only one Ops and one engineer on his team - well two now.  The Romulan hoped the added personnel would be worth the larger team.

Once more the doors to the turbolift open and he glanced over, noting the arrival of an unfamiliar felinoid... a Caitian hybrid he reasoned, given the mostly human features.  Distracted from the Legate, he watched as Security checked the Caitian woman's credentials and surprisingly allowed her entrance.

"Mr. Broadshire, if you would be so kind as to tour the Legate around the Bridge."

Rayek then stepped away and moved to intercept the Caitian.  "Who are you?  And who authorized your assignment to the Bridge?"

With Rayek's attention focused on the unexpected arrival of the Caitian hybrid on the Bridge, the Romulan First Officer had completely missed the tense few moments that passed between Lt Jael's mother - the Cardassian Legate - and the Bajoran Ensign escorting her.

Rayek had been waiting for the Caitian hybrid in the flight uniform to answer him.   But it was security at the door that spoke first, clearly coming to the rescue of the 'damsel-in-distress'.   "She's the new flight officer, sir. Her transfer papers are signed by Admiral Gillespie himself. " The crewman sounded a bit in awe of the man, but then continued with his explanation.  "We checked with Chief Malloy and she's assigned Ensign Moon Dancer - that's her name - " the crewman pointed out while smiling towards the cat-eared beauty.   "- to 2nd chair at Helm.  Apparently, the Chief wants CPO Graham to familiarize her with the MVA protocols."

Rayek glanced over towards talkative security crewman.  "Thank you Crewman." The man's name was Edwin Clarke - normally a quiet man.  Given the man's sudden reaction, Rayek almost wondered if the other species in the woman's geneology was Orion.  The Romulan gave a slight sigh before turning towards the felinoid.

"Welcome aboard Ensign Moon Dancer." Rayek offered in greeting.  "You can take your seat.  Though for future reference, I prefer it if you respond yourself when asked a direct question, rather than getting information from your would-be suitor."

[Moon Dancer - Bridge - USS Discovery]

Moon eeped slightly at the angry words as a man walked into her way.

[Yeesh, Scare Master much?] Moon thought, suppressing a hiss.

"My name's Moon Dancer, Sir, and I'm for lack of a better description, second chair to flying this beautiful bird," Moon lowered her head respectfully, trying not to cause too much trouble her first day aboard.

The Romulan acknowledged her eventual response with a slight nod and once more directed with a gesture for her to take her seat beside CPO Graham.

They had a ship to undock and Multi-Vector-Attack training to undergo.  The Caitian might not be aware that the Prometheus class was designed to separate easily into three separate hulls - each equipped with weapons and warp capabilities, making the ship a formidable battle vessel.   Rayek trusted the Chief Petty officer to inform the new officer of all she would need to know.

She simply nodded. "Aye," she said, and called the away team, this time in double time. The Romulan may not scare her, per se, but she definitely realized that time was of the essence, and she wasn't going to take the fall if people didn't turn two-and quickly. "I'll be on Comms from the Science office, then, if you need me before," she said, standing up to head downstairs, FAR away from the Cardassian legate causing her turmoil.

Rayek nodded satisfied as the Ops officer passed on his order for the away team to assemble in the Holodeck for more training time.
(time skip 4 hrs)

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Holodeck] (4 hrs AFTER undocking) DAY 1 ~12:00

[Science labs]
[not concurrent with time at the moment ]

Kinley nodded, pacing the floor. "œBrilliant! So That's our plan. We get every recording we can get our hands on, and see if we can download them to the Unimatrix and get the computers to analyze it." She turned to Betaika as he handed her the files from the Romulans.  "œThank you. This is going to help a lot.  As soon as we can get it to reasonably replicate their speech patterns, we're going to need to use your knowledge of their grammar to make it sound reasonably accurate. We don't have a Breen to test it against, so we're going to have to hope our simulations are good enough to at least ask where to go to the bathroom in Breen"¦ metaphorically speaking. "[/color]
Nodding to Ensign Lorut, she nodded. "œI agree. The sooner we get that transmitted to them, the better. If you can handle that transmission, that would be great."

"œI'll help you guys out with integrating the computer code systems. They're going out pretty soon, so we need to hurry."

[A little bit later]

They managed to get the systems up. Now all that was left to do was test it. She'd rather have more tests before going to a field test, but this was going to have to do. "œCommander Tr'Lhoell, we're ready with the new translator program for you to try out.

Perfect timing! Rayek was already headed to the Science lab where the computer had noted the Lieutenant was.   The Romulan tapped his comm badge.
"Acknowledged.  Am on my way."

He arrived at the lab two minutes later.  "What have you got for me?" he asked.

(time skip ~ 6 to 8 hours)

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - BRIDGE] - AWAY TEAM ONLY (DAY 1  ~18:00)

[SS Abandon-All-Hope - Bridge]

Jess nodded in response to Rayek's first question. She'd had almost no exposure to the Breen, so it'd certainly be possible that she'd struggle somewhat to read them in comparison to the species she was used to, but she'd found that most humanoid species share the same tells of course.

Counselor Willard's nod was only partially reassuring.  "Let me know if there is any way I can assist you in this - it could prove quite needed."

:: Bridge | S.S. Abandon All Hope ::

There was a cacophony of smells aboard Cloten's ship. Sweat and body odors from several different species was the most off putting of them. But there was also stale food and the acrid smell of burnt out components. In his berth, Kyan thought that some of the Selay bones hadn't been removed from their owners' long enough to be fully bleached. That wasn't much of a surprise, considering that Cloten had a longstanding issue with the Selay, as did most Anticans. On the bridge, not all of the lighting was operational meaning that some parts of the bridge were bright, and other areas were dimly lit. It was also several degrees warmer than a Starfleet ship would be, which made him glad not to be wearing a Breen suit. He was already hot enough that his unkempt mop of crimson hair was sticking to the back of his neck and forehead.

Kyan didn't mind heat. He preferred it to cold in any case. He'd been sitting on the railing that circled the "command well" of the bridge since the communication with the scarred up Andorian, listening to the back and forth between the various parties involved when he picked up on Nira and Cloten's conversation.

The Onlie smiled and nodded emphatically even as Nira went a different direction. It wasnt bluster either. He had every intention on following through on his promise, should the Antican double crossed them. In all honesty though, he didn't expect him to. Not because he was afraid of getting killed, but because it made too much sense to have some good deeds to fall back on. And because Sharem wasn't going to be a cash cow forever. Eventully he'd be brought down by Starfleet. And then Deej Cloten would need other opportunities, which would be easier to find and exploit without Starfleet breathing down his neck.

Kyan trusted the Antican's preservation instincts.

That send Kyan's eyebrows up like a Vulcan in hamburger factory. And...."the boy"? Like he wasn't the most experienced combat officer on the ship by a long shot? He didn't have a problem with the plan. He could do that. It was the flippantness. Was that a word? Flippance?

Eventually he shrugged it off and spoke up. "Aye." He began. "I can get away long enough tae send a message so I can. Dats easy. But if Ole Spoons McNasty gets it in is stupid head tae cut me when I come back, like ye said he done, then I'm gonna sort him out myself, right and proper, and no mistake."

And he would. Brig, demotion, or come what may, he'd not get "branded" by some fat arsed Cardassian grup with delusions of grandeur. Of course he didn't have a knife or phaser to hand, they'd made sure of that before the away teams left....smart arses. But if Sharem came at him with one, he felt confident he could handle that. And he might even have time while he was "escaped" to assemble the handheld backup, the so called "type 2 palm phaser" that was disassembled in various places on his person. But that was just a contingency.

Kyan stifled a laugh at the prospect of some Orion "companions" making their way into the training holos. Or Draylaxian pleasure dancers...with their triple endowments. He wondered if some of the team members would shoot them or start digging for latinum in their suits.

"Hey." He added after Nira's message to Challenger and Discovery. "I ain't after sharing a bunk with all them down there so. And since me da is important after all, can I get me own room the now?" He said it as though it were a joke, but hoped she'd take it for the real request it was. Kyan never had liked sharing accommodations with grups, especially those he didn't know.

While Rayek completely agreed with the sentiment that this dimension's Mackenzie stated when it came to dealing with the Cardassian should Sherem attempt to harm Kyan, he thought the manner in which the Only made the statement a little over confident and brash.   He saw many similarities between this Mackenzie and the other that had been a member of his team on the Lionheart.  But that sense of confidence and cockiness was far more notable in Kyan than it was with Ryan.   Not that it mattered at the moment...  Ryan wasn't in this universe, and Kyan -with his done-it-all attitude- wasn't Rayek's responsibility.

That Kyan tried to get himself his own accommodation, had the Romulan's expression twitch in amusement.  Bold, without a doubt.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian prided himself on being able to translate Morse by ear, so when he first heard the message from Discovery, he thought the sender was having a stroke. It was only on the second listen that he understood the phrasing and could follow what was being said.

"Reply via same method the following."

Ian tapped out on the command chair "--- --. . .-. .- -.--"

Nira had sent her message with no acknowledgement following, which Rayek attributed to the Captain not wishing to draw attention to their communications.  Rayek then sent his message to Discovery and there was an almost immediate response reported out by Cloten's communications person.  Not from Discovery... but from Challenger.  That they were replying to Rayek's message was unmistakable especially when the translated message read:  Ogeray.   Obviously using the same Pig Latin pattern with Ogeray meaning 'Roger'.

Rayek looked to Nira.  "Challenger acknowledges the three days travel." he noted for the others' sake since he hadn't explained his use of Pig Latin in his message out.

He waited to see if there were be a response from Discovery... the message's intended audience.

(time skip 30 minutes later)
Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[SS Abandon-All-Hope - CARGO BAY] - AWAY TEAM ONLY (DAY 1  ~18:30)

Then Rayek asked about contact telepathically. It was nothing new to her so it didn't bother her at all, she did however appreciate him asking for express consent before just doing it instead. "Of course sir. Non-verbal communication techniques are incredibly important. It's part of why I've learned sign, though I suspect that would be rather...difficult in these suits."

Having 'come out' about his ability to his shipmates on the Amalthea just over a year and half ago... Rayek was still not wholly comfortable with being open about his telepathy.   He had long believed that those who were not close friends or family would find ways to turn his ability into yet another reason to distrust him.

As the first of the team acknowledged his request, he smiled to learn that the counselor knew sign language.  During his time in the Technical Services Academy (for enlisted personnel) he had quickly learned the hand gestures needed for security team maneuvers.  He wondered if the counsellor might be willing to share her knowledge of the hand signs when they returned to the ship.

"Thank you, counselor."

SS Abandon All Hope
Cargo Bay

Dranik had left for the cargo bay as soon as Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell had said that anyone below the rank lieutenant should wait in the cargo bay. On the way down he had seen a number of crewman watching him with interest. I'm not very happy I'm drawing attention here, even with this thrice damned suit on, He thought. He was doing his best to blend in with the rest of the away team.

Dranik nodded and spoke quietly enough for only the commander and the others in the away team to hear. "You have my permission to contact me telepathically should the need arise commander."

The Romulan looked to to the Hirogen and nodded once.  "Thank you."

[as Kirayoshi]
[a little bit later]
[SS Abandon All hope]
Kirayoshi wasn't expecting his mask to fog up majorly inside the disguise he was wearing, but it was, obscuring his mask. His bad luck, he supposed. But it was decent enough, even with the limited vision."œI've got the schematics all downloaded. Ready as we'll ever be. What about you guys?"  He nodded, trying to ignore the butterflies of going down undercover. "I'm good with the telepathy. Not the weirdest thing that's happened to me. he smiled.

Rayek nodded at Chief O'Brien's query.  "We all should have the schematics downloaded into our suit... so if we get split up each can find their way around.  In addition, Ensign Lorut should have the schematic memorized, isn't that right, Ensign?" He looked Lorut meaningfully.  Memorizing the schematic had been her 'punishment' for arriving late to the briefing the day before.

Later when O'Brien stated he was good with Rayek's telepathy, the Romulan nodded appreciatively.  So far, the group was being quite accommodating.   He looked to those remaining who had yet to answer him:  the El-Aurian - Ensign Gohun;  the Human - Ensign Dersch; and the Cardassian - junior Lieutenant Sherem - daughter to the very same Gul they were hoping to capture.

Because of the Badlands through which they would be traveling, they had three days until they arrived at the Breen base around which Melek Nor was supposed to found.  Rayek hoped by then they would be far more cohesive a team than they were presently.

"Let's get back to training. Ensign Lorut will be our guide to the base's computer core. Dersch you will take point.  I will backing you up.  Ops and Engineering personnel will be follow.  Jael, you and Dranik will guard our 6 o'clock."

This was the same positions they had been practicing all day yesterday.

[Dem Broadshire]

[Bridge | USS Discovery]
Dem looked around, and no one motioned to continue or stop the tour, not even the Legate. "œWell, if you could come along this way, here are our science stations"¦" Dem continued to guide the Legate on a painstakingly boring and uninteresting tour, until finally he had reached the last station. "œThat finishes the bridge, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me." The Legate promptly left, which unburdened Dem of the annoying responsibility "" for now. Trying to keep his professionalism, he sat down of the visitor chair and sighed. Dem looked over at Tekin, calmy sitting in his chair, and it dawned on him that he hadn't really gotten to know the powerful figure. Making sure the Legate had left the bridge, Dem stated "œFew. Well, that was a nightmare. May I ask why exactly she is onboard?"