S6 - E3 - Tripwire

[Ian Galloway]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Bridge, USS Challenger]

Sometimes Kyan wondered why he ever agreed to get promoted in the first place. He'd been all set to go with Zhuk and his team to catch the thief, but Ian said that it wasn't his job anymore. So now here he was, sitting on the bridge with everyone else, watching the security team trek through the underbelly of the ship in search of the thief.

First of all, Kyan was genetically predisposed to be doing something. That's just the way things worked. He needed to be moving around. Sitting in the same spot for hours and watching the viewscreen was not something. It's the opposite of something. Thats why he was never a good helmsman. Sitting down and steering the ship... or more accurately, telling the ship where to go and then watching the blip pass through space for hours on end, unless you have to make a course correction. That's why he skipped most of the piloting courses when he was at the Academy. And that was back before they'd created the LCARS systems and isolinear chips, much less the bio neural gel packs.

And now he had a job with another chair and a smaller little console that didn't even fly the ship. But at least he got to sit beside the Captain and play musical chairs with him if he decided to go the the bathroom, or go sit in his ready room or something. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he was expected to sit here during a fight, or an operation like this one, and not do anything.

It was excruciating.

Sitting cross-legged in his chair, the Onlie tried to busy himself by reading tactical reports from the Klingon border. Any other time the information would have been interesting, but the fact that several Klingon ships had recently gone missing without any explanation was relegated to the back burner. Instead, Kyan found himself getting up and walking around the bridge, "checking" on all the different stations. He'd done that three times already. The Benzite cadet manning science 2 was probably developing a complex by now. Kyan finally gave up on his padd and looked back up at the screen in time to see Zhuk motion that they were close.

"Finally!" he said to himself. Then to Galloway, "I'd be after interrogatin him when they catch him." he offered. "Zhuk can come too, but I dinnae know if he's done it much. An the jobby pillock mighta hid all the loot he got so.."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded as Kyan spoke, because he understood far to well the frustrations he was feeling. Ian was action oriented and while he adored commanding Challenger, he missed being a first officer.

"I hear you Lad, at least you still get ta lead away teams. I'm bloody stuck in this center seat for everything. So, even though I ended up gettin' shot for my troubles, I wouldn't have changed a single thing about goin' down to Land. It was almost like old times."

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Deck Twelve | Jefferies Tube 127-B | Beneath the Deuterium Storage Tanks | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Romulan Free State Space]

Even though this whole ordeal had been highly distressing for him, he couldn't help but take a small amount of pride in the way that his Security team had so smoothly taken their positions, and combed through the service ducts. All exits had been covered, so the thief would be captured successfully even if he failed in this first capture - which wouldn't happen.

All of his senses were alert and ready, supplementing the technology that allowed him to track his quarry. It was his sharp scent, however, that allowed the Caitian to determine he was almost upon him. Blackfeather and Zala, who followed behind the Chief of Security, were having a hard time keeping up, his natural agility and flexibility being a boon in these tight corridors. Suddenly, he stopped, as they almost reached a central node. A quick chatter with his teeth was emitted, and Zhuk dropped his tricorder, much to the other two's surprise. He did not even retrieve his phaser, instead falling into all fours, and accelerating towards something still unseen. Zhuk's sensitive nose now fully guided him, into the dim illumination of the thief's nest. He narrowly avoided tripping over a simple, makeshift trap, so when he jumped at the middle of a hammock-like structure, the only thing that the Rigellian could see were a pair of glowing eyes and pointy claws and teeth going right towards him.

The latter were swiftly embedded upon the Rigellian's collar, narrowly avoiding his actual skin as he was thrown onto the floor. In the fall, they narrowly avoided crashing upon the many stolen items that had been carefully and deliberately propped around by the thief over a small crate, much to both's relief. Soon enough, however, the Rigellian thief attempted to get the upper hand by brandishing his weapon, a small pistol implement. Far too slow for Zhuk's superior reflexes, he found himself scratched for his efforts, and forced to drop the gun as the Caitian rolled around with him, far from the coveted objects. Growling followed the combat, as the Rigellian resorted to punching, scratching and generally trying to get the Security officer off his body. Zhuk's claws, however, made that difficult as they pierced the clothing and tore it apart. The shimmering became more and more diffuse until finally, his true form was revealed. The thief managed to hit the Caitian often, though Mrekerhas swifly discovered that he had little in the way of combat skills, barely managing to score any actual strikes that hurt him. A cruel laugh followed... then, Zhuk let go.

The Rigellian let out a cry as he pushed aside the Head of Security and made a run for it, only to find himself lightly disoriented as the illumination levels rose. It took him just a moment to realize that he was in the crosshairs of two other Security officers, who gazed at him with a scowl. As he turned, he found the upright, significantly smaller-than-him Caitian that had just attacked him brandishing his own phaser, the thief's weapon safely under his boot. With his voice breaking, he raised his hands and fell to his knees,

"A-Alright, a-alright, I surrender! S-Stop!" Came the pleading as he looked over towards Blackfeather and Zala, unable to meet Zhuk in the eye, "P-Please, don't hurt me! Y-Yes! I-I stole your crew's things! They were so pretty! I did not meant to s-stay in your ship, but I-I saw... oh s-so many pretty things!"

Through sniffles, he motioned over to the stolen objects, before shaking his head, "I-I did not meant to stay, but w-when I tried to leave... t-the ship left early. I am sorry, I-I couldn't help it! A-And I had to survive until you r-reached the next S-Starbase!"

He crawled closer towards Zala, glancing behind himself, "P-Please... d-don't... don't let him take me!"

As Zala took a look over towards Zhukdra'shar, he observed her for a moment, then shrugged, "Ah, such exaggeration... I but only roughed you a small amount... besides, you attempted to fire at me with a weapon. I was supposed to allow you to fire upon me? Ah... by the by, there lays a tripwire just in front of thee. Be careful."

Zhuk tsked, shaking his head as he straightened his uniform, making sure everything was in place. Both his pips and commbadge. Zala sighed and proceeded to jump over the trap, then placed a shoulder on top of the scared Rigellian male, "You are... safe now. But you won't be leaving the brig and be handled by the authorities for the rest of our trip. After we visit Sickbay, that is..."

She stated, sternly, and motioned for the Rigellian to stand up, which he did. Meekly, he placed his hands behind his back, "Y-Yeah... I won't fight... I surrender...

He reassured them, before Zala took him away, assisted by Blackfeather.

"Esteemed members of the crew. Captain. I must gladly inform thee that we have managed to apprehend our interloper, and have found his little... 'nest' he was using to abscond the stolen items. I believe everything is here, and thus, shalt be returned shortly to thee. Our pilferer, a Rigellian, is on his way to Sickbay. And then, the brig."

Zhuk announced, with great pride in his words. He smirked, wondering if he had roughed him too much. Oh well, he deserved some punishment for the headache that he had caused, didn't he? He chuckled, proceeding to recover the items so that they could be given back to their rightful owners...

[Three Days Later...]

[USS Challenger arriving at Starbase 153]

After shedding their Romulan shadow at the Safe Transit Corridor, they crossed through and headed for the Starbase. By now all the missing belongings had been returned to their owner. However, once secured to the docking clamps. Ian called for Jeyshon and Rala to be brought to his ready room. When they arrived, they found the imposing figure of Senior Chief Petty Officer Blackfeather standing behind his desk. When they reported in, Ian let them sweat for a few moments, before speaking in a cold tone.

"Alright you two. I ken full well how you've taken ta cleaning the carbon filters, but now it's time for the second part of your punishment. Senior Chief will be overseein' your trip outside. You will continue ta scrub the hull while you are off shift until we depart this Starbase. Before you go, I believe that you, Rala, owe Jeyshon apology for accusin' him of theft."

Rala looked like he might refuse, but knew he was already in enough trouble and with a choked voice, he said.

"I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry."

"The path to Kamata in spring"

"Alright you two. You've had your moment. Now for the fun."

Blackfeather reached into a pouch on his hip and handed both men toothbrushes.

"Use these until you wear them out, but don't think wearing these out will do you any favors, because I've got plenty more for you. Now, let's get you suited up for your little excursion."

Ian kept his face neutral as Blackfeather marched the two men out of the ready room, he waited ten more seconds for them to cross the turbolift and exit the bridge before bursting out in full throated laughter. He laughed until his sides hurt and was still chuckling as he exited the ready room. As he crossed the bridge, he waved Lieutenant jg Wilma Schultz, from flight to remain in the command chair.

"I'm ta report for a briefing from Admiral T'Fen. You have the bridge Lieutenant."

When Ian reached transporter room one, he was joined by Lieutenant jg. Rachel Davenport and the Klingon Petty Officer First Class Koroz and their Rigelian prisoner. Ian had, of course, seen the prisoner. Shortly after Zhuk reported he'd caught the man, he'd gone down to the brig to see him with his own eyes. He was actually relieved to discover that the thief wasn't a member of the crew as that was such a back breaker to morale. Not that he was happy that Starbase 185's security had allowed the thief onto the ship in the first place. Ian waited until the prisoner and his guards had beamed to Starbase 153's brig before he stepped onto the platform.

"Station Operations."

As the annular confinement beam took him, Ian wondered what he was going to find out from the admiral.

"Probably nothing good."

He muttered.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Cafe Korami | Starbase 153]

While the toy store on Starbase 153 was grossly negligent in resupplying their action figure selection, there were other things there that almost made up for it. One such thing was the latest holographic gaming console, the Romtek-2400. The game consisted of a headband that projected a translucent holographic sphere around the user's head. There was a handheld controller or a series of sensors which meant that the user could use their own body movement to play or if that was impractical, play games using the controller. In addition to the translucent setting, wherein a player could still see the area around them outside the sphere, it could be set to opaque for full immersion.

The set cost him his whole action figure budget for the month, but Kyan soon decided that it was worth it. After all, it was compatible with all the games he'd already bought, like Call of Duty: Dominion War, and Sto'vokor: Hall of Heroes edition. Currently though, he'd been playing Fortnite: Chapter 250, season 2. Despite it not being a popular nowadays as the Dominion war games, it had a pretty big player base here on the station and in the sector, so there were a lot of kids playing.

The cafe and it's noises were all but blocked out by the headset as the Onlie had found a corner of the cafe and set the game to opaque mode. To an onlooker, he appeared as though he had a shimmering blowing ball on his head with a "Rom-Tek" Logo flashing on it.

"Ye better take the shield boyo, or it'll be back ta the lobby with ye sure!" Kyan said as he feverishly worked the handheld controller. "Nae mate... I'm gonna clap yer cheeks like a Pakled taking a math test so."

The Onlie jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"What the shite!?" he exclaimed, dropping the controller. "Nae someone tapped me... it wasn't you ya arsebag!... "

After a few more choice words for the other players, Kyan dropped the controller and reached up and into the bowling ball for a moment. The sphere disappeared and he looked up, annoyed. Standing in front of him was a familiar face, albeit one that was several years older now. Still had that smug air of superiority to him though.

Kyan grinned. "Merry Met again Wentworth."

"That's Commander Wentworth now." the Human corrected him, indicating his collar with it's two solid pips and one black one. "I see someone finally lost their minds and promoted you as well."

Kyan nodded. "It's true that... I'm XO on the Challenger. Good ta see yer still alive so it is." Honestly Kyan had never much cared for the uppity grup, who'd been an uppity ensign the last time they'd seen one another. But of course the feeling was mutual.

"I'm the XO on the Kumari. Inquiry Class. Remind me again, the Challenger is... Excelsior Class right?"

"Nae.. Trailblazer." Kyan replied evenly. He knew where this was likely headed and although he never had given much thought to a ship's class, or felt any particular way about the ship that he served on... a ship was a ship after all... he did feel a particular way about Wentworth taking shots at the Challenger, and by extension, himself.

"Ah.. so.. basically a souped up museum piece then."

"A ship's as good as her crew is Stacey." Kyan smiled, recalling Wenthworth's first name, and how much he despised it. "An Challenger's crew would make yer own crew look like a pack of cadets fresh off the shuttles so we would."

Wentworth's eyes lit up. "That smells like a challenge."

"I cannae see how ye'd be smelling anything with a nose that brown, but yer right." Kyan nodded. "Any time yer after having yer arse spanked like a tot ye lemme know."

"Parises Aquares. Station holodeck. You get a team from your crew, and I'll get our team." Wentworth put his hands on the table. "Care to make it interesting?"

Kyan raised an eyebrow. "Name yer stakes. I could always use some more latinum."

Wentworth laughed. "Oh no... not latinum. The winning team gets to carve their names into the hull of the losing team's ship. Right on the bow."

Galloway would flip.

"Nae... cannae do it." He knew Ian would likely Order 66 him in either case, but carving his name on the Kumari's bow just didn't seem like a big enough prize. "But... how about.. if you win, ye can have my captain's desk from his ready room. An if WE win... I get your captain's desk?"

Wentworth was about to goad him further but he had to admit... the desk thing was better. And he was confident. There was a good reason he'd suggested Parises Squares after all. After a few moments he smiled. "You've got a deal Midget."

"Good. Then let's shake on it Stacey an be about it." Kyan extended his hand, which Wentworth took. After he'd shaken it, he turned to walk away but stopped.

"Oh... Just so you know. We won the Parises Squares championship on this station the past two years so... I hope your captain won't be too mad about his desk. I think we'll put it in the crew lounge....next to the trophies."

And there it was. Kyan had figured the was another shoe that was going to drop. But he didn't show it. "Well, when we win, I'm gonna take all sorts of holovid of your captain's desk in my ready room an send em to him."

That was a lie. The ready room part anyway. There was no way a desk was fitting in there. But he was serious about the pictures though. Wentworth chuckled.

"We'll see Midget. Be there in an hour." Then he walked off, as pompously as one possibly could.

When he was gone, Kyan tapped his com badge. Mackenzie to Challenger crew. Anyone who knows how ta play Parises Squares, meet me at the station holodeck complex in twenty minutes. We been challenged ta play by the XO of the U.S.S. Kumari.

[Jettis Jyur]

[ Starbase 153 - Promenade - Jettis Jyur & Theresa Jyur-Moore ]

"How about that one?" Theresa turned, pointing off at yet another shop. Jettis followed her gaze, to what appeared to be a jeweler. The storefront was scattered with ornate earrings and necklaces, with a surplus of materials and stones to choose from it seemed.

Jettis shot a skeptical glance back at her. "Do you want something from there?" - "No.." - "Then no."

Theresa huffed, rolling her eyes before continuing her casual scan of the boutiques and small shops offered by the Starbase. They'd already managed to snag something from a cute restaurant, before going on their exploration of the commercial floor. "Well then I think we've already seen everything interesting," she supplied unhelpfully. "Now what?"
Jettis glanced over at his daughter, mulling over an answer. The leave, while welcome, was an interruption to their already well-established schedule, and aside from touring all the things they couldn't get on the ship, neither one was very fond of being Starbase-bound.

A chirp from his badge heralded an end to their plight though, as he heard Kyan's call. Mackenzie to Challenger crew. Anyone who knows how ta play Parises Squares, meet me at the station holodeck complex in twenty minutes. We been challenged ta play by the XO of the U.S.S. Kumari.

"Parresis squares?" Perking up, Theresa's small pout shifted into a grin. "You're not playing." Jettis answered immediately, before she could get any smart ideas.

"No, of course not." She shook her head slightly. The game was banned on her schoolyard - too many kids had been sent home with concussions or broken limbs. "But you should! I'll just watch. Can't let the Challenger's honor be besmirched like that."
Appraising her for a moment, he finally shrugged slightly. "Sure, if you don't want to do anything else." Theresa shook her head, motioning to one final store for them to check out before heading down to the holodecks.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Starbase Promende]

Ardyn wandered about the shops on the promenade, looking for the bridal shop that was supposedly down here.  Ardy wasn't really for dresses. like, the last time she had worn a formal dress was  when she was pregnant with Maddy, and even then, it was something that was replicated from a holocatalog on short notice.  Formality wasn't something she was used to.

This... This was something different. Ardy only  wanted to do this just once, and she didn't want to simply get married in just her dress uniform.

Traditionally, at least from what she had heard, you'd go with a bunch of female relatives or friends. Ardy didn't really have that, at least not within several light years away.  (And she was pretty sure that her own mother's opinions on dresses might lean toward either the extremely traditional manner for the whole thing, reception and all, that was, nothing at all.)  Anyhow, Maddy was in school and didn't quite know all too much about weddings, and Ardy wanted to surprise the little girl. Maddy was the whole reason things had gotten started after all, all things considered.

Passing by, she noticed Zhuk, looking around at some outfits himself.

"Hey there! Fancy meeting you here.  I just wanted to say thanks for releasing Maddy's dinosaur from evidence collections when you did. You saved us from an extended meltdown from a distressed little girl." she said, cocking her usual wry grin

"So, whatcha looking at?" she asked.

[Ian Galloway]

[Briefing Room - Starbase 153]

Ian arrived in station Ops and was escorted directly to Admiral T'Phen's office. Like all Vulcans, her office was sparsely decorated and she wasted little time on niceties. She did rise when Ian entered and simply said.

"Please sit Captain."

Ian did so and waited for the Admiral to continue.

"I know your ship just arrived after a long transit. What is your ship's status?"

"As you know Sir, we had ta leave before the yard apes...er starbase engineers were finished with repairs and upgrades. Durin' our transit time, we worked double shifts and made a mighty dent in our replicator mass, but Challenger is now nominal on all systems"

"Very good Captain, because while you were en route, your orders have changed. The Klingons have asked for assistance and under the Khitomer Accords, we are obliged to respond. Our allies report that several ships have gone missing on their coreward border and they believe it is the Kinshaya that are responsible. Starfleet is sendin' a task force of a dozen ships to assist the Klingons keep the Kinshaya from making any more aggressive moves."

Ian tried to keep his face neutral as he did the calculations of how far the admiral was sending them, but he was certain that someone as perceptive as a Vulcan could read his thoughts without resorting to telepathy.

"Bloody hell, that's sixty odd lightyears. At best speed, that's three bleedin' weeks."

To the admiral, Ian said.

"Given the travel time Admiral, will we arrive in time ta make any difference?"

"That is unknown Captain. I understand there are faster ships in the fleet, but after the lamentable events of last year, you are well aware of the difficulties the fleet faces. We will need our faster ships closer to the core planets where their speed will allow them to reach outlying areas more efficiently than basing slower ships on the frontier."

Ian managed not to make a face, but there was some logic to the Admiralty's plan. He did have one question.

"May I ask admiral, what other ships will be in this taskforce?"

"You may Captain. To be frank, all of them are older classes of starships, not unlike your Challenger, but all still have useful service left in them. I will transfer the list to your PADD. Do you have any further questions Captain?"

"One Sir, when do we depart?"

"As long as it takes for you to resupply your replicator mass and any other maintenance issues you have."

"Is four hours acceptable?"

"It is. Good day Captain."

Ian rose, nodded to the admiral and departed. When he reached Ops, he asked for and was transported from Station Ops, directly to the bridge of the Challenger.

Ian plopped in the command chair and read through the list of ships assigned to the taskforce. Challenger was by far the oldest, but all of the rest were survivors of the Dominion War. There were three Steamrunners, solid destroyer/scouts; two Cheyennes, decent fighters and fast; two New Orleans, fast frigates with good firepower; three Norways, not unlike the New Orleans, but with a leaner crew; and one Akira torpedo cruiser. This last ship was the nightmare even the Jem'Hadar feared for it's withering firepower. Add in the Challenger and you had a regular antique show.

After acquainting himself with the taskforce, he contacted Lieutenant Sunik in Engineering.

"Lieutenant, you have four hours ta ready the ship ta run for three weeks at warp eight. I'm about ta order a recall of the crew. I ken full well that what I'm askin' is borderin' on the impossible, but Starfleet Engineers are well known ta make such things routine. Get ta it Lieutenant, time is against us."

"Understood Captain."

Ian hated to have to do what he had to do next, but there was no choice, if they were to meet the four hour deadline, they would need the entire crew.

"All hands. This is the Captain speakin', this is a shipwide recall. All hands report back ta the ship, this is no drill. Department heads, report when all your personnel are accounted for. Again, this is no drill."

Ian sighed and as he thought.

"Twelve old ships will nae stop the Kinshaya if'n the Klingon stories are true, it looks like were ta be a bloody tripwire ta trigger a greater response by Starfleet. Maker protect us all."

[Tora Zalos]

[Starbase Promende]

Ardyn wandered about the shops on the promenade, looking for the bridal shop that was supposedly down here.  Ardy wasn't really for dresses. like, the last time she had worn a formal dress was  when she was pregnant with Maddy, and even then, it was something that was replicated from a holocatalog on short notice.  Formality wasn't something she was used to.

This... This was something different. Ardy only  wanted to do this just once, and she didn't want to simply get married in just her dress uniform.

Traditionally, at least from what she had heard, you'd go with a bunch of female relatives or friends. Ardy didn't really have that, at least not within several light years away.  (And she was pretty sure that her own mother's opinions on dresses might lean toward either the extremely traditional manner for the whole thing, reception and all, that was, nothing at all.)  Anyhow, Maddy was in school and didn't quite know all too much about weddings, and Ardy wanted to surprise the little girl. Maddy was the whole reason things had gotten started after all, all things considered.

Passing by, she noticed Zhuk, looking around at some outfits himself.

"Hey there! Fancy meeting you here.  I just wanted to say thanks for releasing Maddy's dinosaur from evidence collections when you did. You saved us from an extended meltdown from a distressed little girl." she said, cocking her usual wry grin

"So, whatcha looking at?" she asked.

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Starbase Promenade]

Breaks, no matter how brief, were always greatly appreciated. Tora had decided to use hers to the best of her ability - that is, sampling the food from several of the food stalls on the promenade, buying snacks to bring with her on the Challenger's next mission, get some new clothes, that sort of thing. The Cardassian had what appeared to be an ice cream cone in hand, off-white in color and covered in crushed peanuts, along with three more bags of shopping. Might as well use the opportunity to the fullest, right?

It brought a smile to her face to see her colleagues - Zhuk and the helmswoman whose name she didn't quite know yet - just up ahead, though. She was glad to see the former finally take a break; the whole ordeal with people's stuff getting stolen must have taken a toll on him indeed. At least now her precious hot chocolate cup had been returned and so had the personal belongings of everyone else, and the culprit was in custody, which meant that, for now at least, all was well. "Zhuk! And uh... ma'am." Tora called out as she approached the two. Her eyes widened as she saw what the Caitian was doing; was he picking out an outfit for himself? Granted, she'd rarely ever seen him wear something fancy. "What are you both doing-"

Then their commbadges chirped, and the captain's heavily accented voice piped through. Tora exchanged a look with the two senior officers and nodded solemnly. "Looks like I won't be able to get that tub of honey earl grey ice cream after all." She quipped, before nodding at the airlock nearby. "We should definitely go..."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 12 - Upper Engineering Support Area]

By the time the ship arrived at Starbase 153, Lahr had served his time on Beta shift, and the Andorian was informed that he could return to Alpha pattern.  Lahr was stoked, this meant that his visits to Sickbay for any hangover remedies would be supplied by the cute nurse and kept off the books.  He was looking forward to getting sauced tonight after his shift.

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Cafe Korami | Starbase 153]

Mackenzie to Challenger crew. Anyone who knows how ta play Parises Squares, meet me at the station holodeck complex in twenty minutes. We been challenged ta play by the XO of the U.S.S. Kumari.

When Commander Mackenzie's comm call sounded, Lahr nearly laughed.  It had been nearly 10 years since he last played Parrises Squares as part of the Starfleet Technical Services Academy DPA.  That had been back when he was classmates with Rayek.  It was bit depressing to realize that while the Romulan was now a Commander, he was but a Chief Petty Officer.   Oh well, it wasn't all that bad - Burke was still just a Crewman; and probably would be for life.

No sooner had Lahr returned his attention to his work task, which while docked at the starbase was running a diagnostic on the tertiary flow regulator, than the Captain did a shipwide call.

[Briefing Room - Starbase 153]

Ian hated to have to do what he had to do next, but there was no choice, if they were to meet the four hour deadline, they would need the entire crew.

"All hands. This is the Captain speakin', this is a shipwide recall. All hands report back ta the ship, this is no drill. Department heads, report when all your personnel are accounted for. Again, this is no drill."
[/i]

The recall of all shore leave was unwelcome news but since Lahr hadn't yet made it aboard the station it didn't really hit him as hard as some.  He figured if he'd had been on shore leave he'd of for sure been well into his cups, so it was almost a blessing in disguise. 

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | USS Challenger, Crew Quarters > Mess Hall]

Galloway's emergency recall had been welcome news to Kyan. It wasn't because the Parises Squares game had to be put on hold, he'd been ready for that. No, it was because now he could doff the stupid spandex suit that you apparently had to wear to play Parises Squares. The disappointment that he had felt when the replicator spat out that blue and black atrocity had been profound. But the computer had stated in no uncertain terms that if one wanted to engage in the game, then they had to wear the proper attire.

For Kyan that also meant a matching blue helmet with a plexiglass visor. "All juvenile players are required as of stardate yada yada to wear approved protective equipment while playing." It had said. "But I'm nearly four hundred and fifty!" he had replied. Then the computer had unleashed, for it at least, the most eye-widening, brow furrowing, three snaps in a z-formation level sass that Kyan could remember hearing from a computer.

"Your physiological development belies your chronological age." It had said. "Players from Miri's Planet are classified as juveniles when playing Parises Squares, regardless of their chronological age."

"Sure an I fought tons of grups... actual grups.. big ones...."

"Players from Miri's Planet......"

"That's racist!" Kyan had offered in exasperation, unable to think of another argument."

The computer just tried to repeat the rule. Eventually, the Onlie told it to shut up and replicate the helmet. He didn't really care about wearing it. It was just the principle of the whole thing. It was a moot point now though, since they weren't going to be able to play the game until they got back from wherever they were going all of the sudden.

When he'd gotten his uniform on, Kyan decided to go eat in the mess hall. He had some time to kill before he needed to be on the bridge, which would be boring when they got underway, but would be dreadfully boring with the ship just sitting in spacedock.

[USS Challenger, Mess Hall]

When he entered, the Onlie XO was surprised to see that the place was fairly busy. If this were any indication, most of the crew was probably back already. Kyan took a seat on one of the stools at the bar and waved to Jackie Mulligatawny, who was making drinks.

"Heya Kyan, whadda ya know?" the burly human asked, setting the drinks on a platter for the wait staff.

Kyan shrugged. "Nothin." he replied. "I've nae been ta the bridge yet."

Jackie looked around and then leaned in. "I hear we're headed to the Klingon border." he whispered conspiratorally. "Something about all those ships that went missing."

Kyan remembered something about that, but hadn't paid much attention to the report at the time. They'd still been looking for the thief. "That might be fun." he mused. "We've nae been in a proper scrap for a while so."

Jackie nodded. "True. It's been kinda nice."

"It's been boring." Kyan replied plaintively. "I've nae heard Scotland the Brave in months!"

Jackie laughed. "I know... that's the nice part." Then..."You here for lunch?"

"Yeah. Got any pepperoni pizza?"

Jackie stood back up from where he'd been leaning on the bar. "Yup. We just got some Capellan sharp cheddar too. I'll get you a slice."

When the human chef went back into the kitchen, Kyan looked around the room. Even though Challenger's crew wasn't that big, Kyan didn't know everyone yet, and they'd gotten several new crew aboard when they stopped at Solaere, and even more here at Starbase 158. Eventually he'd have to go and meet them all. And if it really was the Klingon border they were off to, there would be plenty of time.

And speaking of time, there was also plenty of time to crush the dreams of more players visitors to "the Island." So while he waited on the pizza, Kyan reached into his pocket and pulled out the small handheld video game controller and unwrapped the headband from around it. After he put the headband on he reached up and pressed the power button and a translucent holographic sphere materialized around his head.

"Time ta splatter some newbies." he thought aloud as the game started up.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the mass of Starbase 153 shrink as the Challenger departed for Klingon space. The ship had made the four hour deadline with all crew reporting in well ahead of the deadline. Once a safe distance from the starbase, the ship went to warp and smoothly accelerated to her maximum of warp 8.2. When the ship was steady on course, Ian called for a department heads briefing. As he was the only one with all the information of their mission, he would brief the others. Once the last person was in place, he stood and moved to the large display on the wall that currently showed the Klingon coreward border.

"Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."

At this point, Ian changed the image on the viewer from Klingon space to the image of a large humanoid.

"This ladies and gentlebeings is a Kinshaya. They average two meters tall or larger. They clock in at a massive 200 kilos. Accordin' ta the Klingons, they fight with a fury that is beyond words ta describe. They have these large, essentially vestigial wings, they cannae fly, they've become too heavy for that, but when spread span three meters. They have two ocular like organs for eyes, large and pupiless. Their nose is a wee thing and their mouth is little more than a flap, but has three rows of teeth. And if that isna nightmare enough, they have a sort of visual organ in the back of their head. It seems ta be primitive and only senses movement."

Changing the viewer again, the image was of a ship, but of a design no one had seen before.

"This is a Kinshaya globe ship. For some unknown reason, all of their ships are spheres with external warp nacelles mounted port and starboard. Despite their odd appearance, the Klingon report them ta be very maneuverable and pack a staggerin' punch. The first time the Klingons fought them, they only just managed ta stop them. Because that time was when we were enemies, they kept the entire encounter and war a secret. It took the work of many years for Starfleet Intelligence ta piece together that the Kinshaya even existed.

"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that."

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the mass of Starbase 153 shrink as the Challenger departed for Klingon space. The ship had made the four hour deadline with all crew reporting in well ahead of the deadline. Once a safe distance from the starbase, the ship went to warp and smoothly accelerated to her maximum of warp 8.2. When the ship was steady on course, Ian called for a department heads briefing. As he was the only one with all the information of their mission, he would brief the others. Once the last person was in place, he stood and moved to the large display on the wall that currently showed the Klingon coreward border.

"Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."

At this point, Ian changed the image on the viewer from Klingon space to the image of a large humanoid.

"This ladies and gentlebeings is a Kinshaya. They average two meters tall or larger. They clock in at a massive 200 kilos. Accordin' ta the Klingons, they fight with a fury that is beyond words ta describe. They have these large, essentially vestigial wings, they cannae fly, they've become too heavy for that, but when spread span three meters. They have two ocular like organs for eyes, large and pupiless. Their nose is a wee thing and their mouth is little more than a flap, but has three rows of teeth. And if that isna nightmare enough, they have a sort of visual organ in the back of their head. It seems ta be primitive and only senses movement."

Changing the viewer again, the image was of a ship, but of a design no one had seen before.

"This is a Kinshaya globe ship. For some unknown reason, all of their ships are spheres with external warp nacelles mounted port and starboard. Despite their odd appearance, the Klingon report them ta be very maneuverable and pack a staggerin' punch. The first time the Klingons fought them, they only just managed ta stop them. Because that time was when we were enemies, they kept the entire encounter and war a secret. It took the work of many years for Starfleet Intelligence ta piece together that the Kinshaya even existed.

"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that."

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

[Engineering | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Rather than joining the others in the space station, Aarwendil decided to remain in the ship. He had finished his experiments with the soil, achieving interesting results with it. Later, he would ponder if that was worth being published as an article. Perhaps the information that he found could be useful for agriculture.
Since he remained on the ship, the Betazoid decided to help the engineers. They were needing some extra hands and it would be no problem for him to help in any way that he could. Even if he worked in Operations, Aarwendil still knew how to operate around this department.

He had finished his task and was going when the message of the Captain. The fact that they barely had free time didn't come out as a great surprise to him. Something always happened when they had shore leave or a break.

Now they were on route to Klingon space. Aarwendil excused himself from engineering and went to the bridge, where he could help with the approaching problem.

[Engineering | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

The Betazoid arrived right on time to hear Captain Galloway's speech.  They were going to help the Klingons with Kinshaya, an apparently hostile species. Once the captain finished talking, Aarwendil approached him. "Captain, Lieutenant Jg. Cheizex presenting to duty. Is there any way that I can help on the bridge?"

[Alexander Wu]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the mass of Starbase 153 shrink as the Challenger departed for Klingon space. The ship had made the four hour deadline with all crew reporting in well ahead of the deadline. Once a safe distance from the starbase, the ship went to warp and smoothly accelerated to her maximum of warp 8.2. When the ship was steady on course, Ian called for a department heads briefing. As he was the only one with all the information of their mission, he would brief the others. Once the last person was in place, he stood and moved to the large display on the wall that currently showed the Klingon coreward border.

"Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."

At this point, Ian changed the image on the viewer from Klingon space to the image of a large humanoid.

"This ladies and gentlebeings is a Kinshaya. They average two meters tall or larger. They clock in at a massive 200 kilos. Accordin' ta the Klingons, they fight with a fury that is beyond words ta describe. They have these large, essentially vestigial wings, they cannae fly, they've become too heavy for that, but when spread span three meters. They have two ocular like organs for eyes, large and pupiless. Their nose is a wee thing and their mouth is little more than a flap, but has three rows of teeth. And if that isna nightmare enough, they have a sort of visual organ in the back of their head. It seems ta be primitive and only senses movement."

Changing the viewer again, the image was of a ship, but of a design no one had seen before.

"This is a Kinshaya globe ship. For some unknown reason, all of their ships are spheres with external warp nacelles mounted port and starboard. Despite their odd appearance, the Klingon report them ta be very maneuverable and pack a staggerin' punch. The first time the Klingons fought them, they only just managed ta stop them. Because that time was when we were enemies, they kept the entire encounter and war a secret. It took the work of many years for Starfleet Intelligence ta piece together that the Kinshaya even existed.

"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that."

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Alex sat at his station, paying keen attention to Galloway's briefing, though his expression had tightened considerably by the end of it. Fantastic. A monster that the Klingons are afraid of, ones that can literally see out behind them, and Starfleet decides we're the best ones to send. Why wouldn't they at the very least let us offload our families if they knew this might become a combat mission? A vivid memory of the lizard warriors he'd encountered decades ago onboard Gibson came to mind, causing an involuntary shudder. They'd barely survived that encounter, and he didn't have a daughter to worry about. Keeping his dour mood to himself, and maybe Ardyn, Alex shifted in his seat, glancing at the others before speaking up first.

"Sir, I reckon I won't be the only one with some concerns about our role in this operation. By my understanding of the provided information, the Federation hasn't had any personal interactions with the Kinshaya. This is, by definition, a first contact scenario for us if we were to come across them. Has Starfleet issued us ROEs on how to proceed in that instance? Will we be following our doctrine, or the Klingons?" The question Alex didn't ask was, Will we be expected to go guns a 'blazing against a force that can regularly turn Klingon ships into swiss cheese? Instead, he paused for a moment before proceeding with his next concern. "And the obvious follow up question is, who will be in charge of this task force?"

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Promenade]

Ardy nodded to Zhuk and the scientist woman who came up. "No need to be so formal. "Lieutenant Jaeger, but most folks call me Ardyn or Ardy.  Was just about to go wedding dress shopping. Or at least try to see what's out there so I can replicate something nice. Like I have any idea of what I want." she smirked wryly. "I don't usually wear dresses, like, ever. "

Suddenly, the call came onto their comms. Ardy sighed. Moving out already? "I guess that might have to wait. The boss wants us back on board."

{Bridge]

Ardy got back onto the bridge as the briefing began, so she hung back as the situation was explained about this situation they were pulled in. "Do you think we'll need to bring out fighter support, given the maneuverability of their ships?" she asked, already planning battle tactics for both the Challenger and the pilot squads. The Challie might be an older ship, but she still had the maneuverability if she needed to really go into battle mode."

She grimaced a little  internally. Expendable. Ardy used to think that of herself, before she had people in her life she didn't want to lose. All the more reason to not lose this fight.

"Given the fact that this is a species of people practically unknown to the Federation, would it be better to see  if we can try to observe them first, so we know what we might be up against?

[Mess hall]

If she wasn't at school, Maddy was at the after school or being babysat while mommy and daddy was at work for the next while. She had already done her reading homework, and had convinced the teenager who was babysitting her, Casey , to wander about the ship.  Since she had finally gotten her dino back, she hadn't let her eyes off it.

wandering her way to the mess hall, she saw Kyan hanging about, looking like he was playing some kind of game and eating pizza!

Racing toward the kid, she grinned "Hi Kyan! Whatcha playing?"

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Mess Hall, USS Challenger]

Racing toward the kid, she grinned "Hi Kyan! Whatcha playing?"

As it happened, Kyan had just finished a match of CoD: Dominion Carnage when Maddy appeared. It was a fun game, but the designers had gotten some things wrong. Firstly, the Vorta weren't fighters but in the game they were. And the Jem'Hadar used their kartarkins and punch daggars a lot more in real life than they did in the game. Lastly, and in his opinion most egregious, was the fact that Starfleet didn't have a slew of beam weapons to choose from. There was the hand-held phaser and the rifle. That was pretty much it. But in the game you could choose from a plethora of different things. And modify them too with special optics, beam confinement attachments and other things.

It was a lot different from the actual war. But it was still fun. Maybe not as fun as actually fighting a Jem'Hadar, but then what was?

Kyan pressed the power switch on the side of the holo-headband and the sphere around his head blinked out of existence. He swiveled on is stool and considered the little hybrid girl with her stuffed dinosaur. He'd run into her more often since their escapades on Starbase 185. As girls went, she was much less annoying than most. Of course she was only six, so that would change in time, but for now she was ok. And he saw a bit of himself in her too. In fact, looking around and not seeing one of her parents or any other grups accompanying her, Kyan figured she probably escaped again. That made him smile.

"Merry Met again Maddie!" he replied enthusiastically. "I was just playin some holo games before I gotta go up ta work on the bridge. You can have a go if ye want."

~~ A while later on the bridge~~

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

The only question Kyan had was When will we get there? A proper fight with the Kinshaya? And they'd be fighting with the Klingons? That sounded like a Yule gift come early to him. The only thing putting a damper on the whole affair was that he'd be sitting beside Ian and not manning tactical. But even that wasn't enough to take all the shine off.

Of course he'd have to get some more information from Klingon Intelligence about the Kinshaya. The scant details that they'd gotten thus far wasn't very much to work with and since the Klingons had been fighting them off and on for more than a century he knew there had to be more.

"Sir, I reckon I won't be the only one with some concerns about our role in this operation. By my understanding of the provided information, the Federation hasn't had any personal interactions with the Kinshaya. This is, by definition, a first contact scenario for us if we were to come across them. Has Starfleet issued us ROEs on how to proceed in that instance? Will we be following our doctrine, or the Klingons?" The question Alex didn't ask was, Will we be expected to go guns a 'blazing against a force that can regularly turn Klingon ships into swiss cheese? Instead, he paused for a moment before proceeding with his next concern. "And the obvious follow up question is, who will be in charge of this task force?"

If there was one constant in the universe, Kyan thought, it was that grups, Human ones especially, would try talking to anyone or anything if they thought it might keep them from having to get dirty.

It wasn't a cowardly thing, but it seemed like they had to go through alot of steps to convince themselves or give themselves permission to do what everyone knew was going to happen. Starfleet Academy really pounded that lesson home.

Kyan had never put much stock in it though. Sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes...most times in his own reckoning, some folks just had to do everything the hard way.

Kyan recognized this trait in others mostly because, well....he was one of them.

"I dinnae think they're gonna be much fer talking an diplomacy Mister Wu." Kyan opined. "Them and the Klingons been at each other since way before Khitomer an in all dat time, dey never wanted ta talk to us, or anyone else. Sure an it seems like all they wanna do is fight."

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Alex sat at his station, paying keen attention to Galloway's briefing, though his expression had tightened considerably by the end of it. Fantastic. A monster that the Klingons are afraid of, ones that can literally see out behind them, and Starfleet decides we're the best ones to send. Why wouldn't they at the very least let us offload our families if they knew this might become a combat mission? A vivid memory of the lizard warriors he'd encountered decades ago onboard Gibson came to mind, causing an involuntary shudder. They'd barely survived that encounter, and he didn't have a daughter to worry about. Keeping his dour mood to himself, and maybe Ardyn, Alex shifted in his seat, glancing at the others before speaking up first.

"Sir, I reckon I won't be the only one with some concerns about our role in this operation. By my understanding of the provided information, the Federation hasn't had any personal interactions with the Kinshaya. This is, by definition, a first contact scenario for us if we were to come across them. Has Starfleet issued us ROEs on how to proceed in that instance? Will we be following our doctrine, or the Klingons?" The question Alex didn't ask was, Will we be expected to go guns a 'blazing against a force that can regularly turn Klingon ships into swiss cheese? Instead, he paused for a moment before proceeding with his next concern. "And the obvious follow up question is, who will be in charge of this task force?"

[Bridge]
Ardy got back onto the bridge as the briefing began, so she hung back as the situation was explained about this situation they were pulled in. "Do you think we'll need to bring out fighter support, given the maneuverability of their ships?" she asked, already planning battle tactics for both the Challenger and the pilot squads. The Challie might be an older ship, but she still had the maneuverability if she needed to really go into battle mode."

She grimaced a little  internally. Expendable. Ardy used to think that of herself, before she had people in her life she didn't want to lose. All the more reason to not lose this fight.

"Given the fact that this is a species of people practically unknown to the Federation, would it be better to see  if we can try to observe them first, so we know what we might be up against?
[/quote]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Mess Hall, USS Challenger]

The only question Kyan had was When will we get there? A proper fight with the Kinshaya? And they'd be fighting with the Klingons? That sounded like a Yule gift come early to him. The only thing putting a damper on the whole affair was that he'd be sitting beside Ian and not manning tactical. But even that wasn't enough to take all the shine off.

Of course he'd have to get some more information from Klingon Intelligence about the Kinshaya. The scant details that they'd gotten thus far wasn't very much to work with and since the Klingons had been fighting them off and on for more than a century he knew there had to be more.

If there was one constant in the universe, Kyan thought, it was that grups, Human ones especially, would try talking to anyone or anything if they thought it might keep them from having to get dirty.

It wasn't a cowardly thing, but it seemed like they had to go through alot of steps to convince themselves or give themselves permission to do what everyone knew was going to happen. Starfleet Academy really pounded that lesson home.

Kyan had never put much stock in it though. Sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes...most times in his own reckoning, some folks just had to do everything the hard way.

Kyan recognized this trait in others mostly because, well....he was one of them.

"I dinnae think they're gonna be much fer talking an diplomacy Mister Wu." Kyan opined. "Them and the Klingons been at each other since way before Khitomer an in all dat time, dey never wanted ta talk to us, or anyone else. Sure an it seems like all they wanna do is fight."

[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the very pertinent questions and wished he had more information, he sighed and continued with what little answers he had.

"As for families Lieutenant Wu, since this mission has the potential ta drop into the pot more than others, our course includes a detour ta Deep Space K-7 at the halfway point of our journey. That will give you ten full days ta pack and prepare loved ones ta leave the ship."

Turning to face Ardy, Ian continued.

"I believe the intelligence means for ships their size they are maneuverable, besides, with the high casualty rates among fighters, we are again limited by that bloody Frontier Day mess. Starfleet is now very casualty adverse and simply won't condone the use of fighters.

"Our mission and ROE are ta support and observe. You are correct Alex, this is technically a First Contact, but the Kinshaya do not talk, they attack and attack savagely. Whether they are xenophobes, descended from predators, or just nae like how other species breathe is unknown.

"I don't know how well you ken 20th Century history Lieutenant, but our presence will be like the troops from the nation state of the United States that were stationed in the nation state of South Korea which was in an armed stand off with the nation state of North Korea. The American forces were nae strong enough ta stop the North Koreans. Their mission was as a reminder ta the North 'cross the border and you will hit our forces, which will bring in the full might of the United States military.' They were a 'tripwire', that essentially meant 'cross this point and something goes off you can't handle'. I got the distinct impression when I got my briefin', we are a tripwire force. If the Kinshaya attack the Klingons in force this time, we ensure the Federation will respond."

Finally, Ian addressed Kyan.

"I hate ta accept that talkin' isn't an option, but this is one time it seems unlikely. When I said we have little information on the Kinshaya, what I told you is all the Klingons have. Since the Kinshaya actually scare them, it is a matter of honor ta nae talk about them. They only reluctantly shared what I gave you and all Starfleet Intelligence has is rumors.

"Coming back ta your question Alex of who is in command, Captain Trindra Soro of the USS Galahad, the Akira in the task force is senior captain and will hold the title of Commodore for this mission. I am next senior and will be her deputy."

Ian stood, but before he dismissed everyone, he added.

"I did get one bit of good news while at Starbase 153. The orders have come through and I get ta do one of my favorite roles as Captain. Lieutenant Commander Kyan MacKenzie, stand up."

Ian then walked over to him and exchanged the open pip for a third closed one.

"You are hereby promoted ta the rank of Commander. Congratulations ya little git."

[Jettis Jyur]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]
...
"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that." [/b]

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

"Sir, I reckon I won't be the only one with some concerns about our role in this operation. By my understanding of the provided information, the Federation hasn't had any personal interactions with the Kinshaya. This is, by definition, a first contact scenario for us if we were to come across them. Has Starfleet issued us ROEs on how to proceed in that instance? Will we be following our doctrine, or the Klingons?" The question Alex didn't ask was, Will we be expected to go guns a 'blazing against a force that can regularly turn Klingon ships into swiss cheese? Instead, he paused for a moment before proceeding with his next concern. "And the obvious follow up question is, who will be in charge of this task force?"

[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the very pertinent questions and wished he had more information, he sighed and continued with what little answers he had.

"As for families Lieutenant Wu, since this mission has the potential ta drop into the pot more than others, our course includes a detour ta Deep Space K-7 at the halfway point of our journey. That will give you ten full days ta pack and prepare loved ones ta leave the ship."

Turning to face Ardy, Ian continued.

"I believe the intelligence means for ships their size they are maneuverable, besides, with the high casualty rates among fighters, we are again limited by that bloody Frontier Day mess. Starfleet is now very casualty adverse and simply won't condone the use of fighters.

"Our mission and ROE are ta support and observe. You are correct Alex, this is technically a First Contact, but the Kinshaya do not talk, they attack and attack savagely. Whether they are xenophobes, descended from predators, or just nae like how other species breathe is unknown.

"I don't know how well you ken 20th Century history Lieutenant, but our presence will be like the troops from the nation state of the United States that were stationed in the nation state of South Korea which was in an armed stand off with the nation state of North Korea. The American forces were nae strong enough ta stop the North Koreans. Their mission was as a reminder ta the North 'cross the border and you will hit our forces, which will bring in the full might of the United States military.' They were a 'tripwire', that essentially meant 'cross this point and something goes off you can't handle'. I got the distinct impression when I got my briefin', we are a tripwire force. If the Kinshaya attack the Klingons in force this time, we ensure the Federation will respond."

Finally, Ian addressed Kyan.

"I hate ta accept that talkin' isn't an option, but this is one time it seems unlikely. When I said we have little information on the Kinshaya, what I told you is all the Klingons have. Since the Kinshaya actually scare them, it is a matter of honor ta nae talk about them. They only reluctantly shared what I gave you and all Starfleet Intelligence has is rumors.

"Coming back ta your question Alex of who is in command, Captain Trindra Soro of the USS Galahad, the Akira in the task force is senior captain and will hold the title of Commodore for this mission. I am next senior and will be her deputy."

Ian stood, but before he dismissed everyone, he added.

"I did get one bit of good news while at Starbase 153. The orders have come through and I get ta do one of my favorite roles as Captain. Lieutenant Commander Kyan MacKenzie, stand up."

Ian then walked over to him and exchanged the open pip for a third closed one.

"You are hereby promoted ta the rank of Commander. Congratulations ya little git."

[ USS Challenger - Briefing Room/Bridge ]

When the immediate recall came, Jettis couldn't help but feel a marginal amount of disappointment. Especially once he'd seen the mandatory getup for Kyan to play - a whole safety suit complete with a helmet.
However, when duty called, he answered. He was quick to return and took a headcount of all the science officers as they reported in. Once the last one reported, he informed Mackenzie everyone in his department was accounted for.

Soon after, he left for the briefing. Not that there was very much to be briefed on, truthfully. Most of what they had was speculation, or substantial at best. "I assume there's no current theories on why the Kinyasha might be targeting Klingon ships all of the sudden?" Any seemingly random change in behavior always set off alarm bells in Jettis' head. If the Kinyasha were truly as formidable as legends said, what use did they have for klingon ships? Or klingon hostages, if that was the situation.

His eyes turned to Kyan as Galloway asked him to stand, before bestowing a pip on him. A smile tugged at his lips, eyes lighting up. Good, he mused. He deserves it. He wasn't sure what had happened to Kyan in the time between Katra and meeting back up on the Challenger, but it was a long overdue promotion. "Congratulations, Commander."