==================== Starbase 234 ====================
"Sorry sir, but I'm gonna need your clearance identification."
The moment Terek stepped of the airlock, the guy that certainly matched
the person stereotype when someone mentions security, stopped him.
"Ah, right. Commander Terek Weranis. I was ordered to report to this
station."
"That might be sir, but I'm still gonna need your clearance ID."
"I just gave it to you. Verify my personal file and assignment status!"
Terek was getting a little annoyed but this. As usually when there were
some byrocratical nonsense that really didn't serve any purpose.
"No sir, that's not the clearance."
"Well and where can I get one?"
"At the chief of security of station commanding officer."
"Let me go and get one for myself then."
"No can do sir."
"Then call the chief of security and I'll talk to him."
"The chief of security is busy sir."
{Oh holy Prophets this is never going to end is it?}
"Then the station commander!"
"He's in a meeting."
"OH COME ON! How am I supposed to get the clearance when both people who
can give one to me are occupied?!"
Suddenly he saw a familiar person walking in the corridor behind the
guards or at least he hoped that it was her so he tried his luck and
shouted:
"Commander Wellington!! Athena!!"
Athena was taking a walk to get away from the evaluations when she heard her name being shouted. She turned back and went down the short hallway to see if she recognized who was calling her name. She furrowed her brow and then saw the a face that was indeed friendly. She walked past the guard and gave the science officer a hug; hoping that she had correctly identified the problem. "Commander Terek," she started respecting his Bajoran heritage, "you are certainly a sight for sore eyes."
{Good grief, it is her} shrugged Terek with relief so heavy that his traditional earring tingled and was even more surprised by the hug he had received.
Bustling him past the guard she continued talking not letting either man get a word in, "I think I have a problem that need your attention. How fortunate for me?"
The guard raised his phaser calling, "Halt, Commander Wellington, I' sorry but he hasn't been cleared."
"I'm vouching for him and if either Security or the Commanding officer has a problem with that... then tell them I abducted their best scientific mind." She smiled as Terek and ushered him further down the short hallway.
The moment she got him to the hallway he chuckled slightly when she mentioned the abduction. As soon as they cleared the vicinity of the airlock he turned his her to see her.
"An abduction? I wouldn't expect this coming from you. And if I leave aside the your obvious delusion of me being the best scientific mind, the question springs in my mind. How many other scientists have you already abducted? What is your evil master plan and how do you intend to overtake this station? he smiled broadly.
"All it take is a counselor that confuses all and one good scientist, but if you tell anyone else that I'll deny it."
"No, seriously, thank you very much for helping me out there. I'm not sure where it would all end. Probably me being in the brig for unauthorized access to the station. And I'm pretty sure that security guy wouldn't have any troubles with me whatsoever. He'd just stun me with the phaser and then carried me under his arm. Does he have that from canteen? What do you feed those people with?"
Athena shrugged, "Personnel is kind of a disaster ... "
"Nonetheless he should probably get checked on the sickbay. Or science dept can take care of him. I'm not sure how equipped is this station, but I guess that genetics team would be thrilled to get a few samples."
They slowly walked to the section of the docking ring where were the large view ports to the either side of the ring. One facing the deep blackness of space and the other towards the central core that was softly illuminated by the exterior lights and light from offices, labs and quarters.
"To start with more serious things. What happened after I left the Chimera? A few days after I arrived on Valaris, the war started and my home world became one of the first battlegrounds. In the later days the fights moved to another systems, but we were cut off almost everything, including news and means of communication."
"Quite a lot has been going on.... warring with the Romulans mostly. Part of the reason personnel is such a disaster is that many ships were destroyed and other need a lot of repair." She reached out and touched his arm, "The Chimera was one of the ships destroyed..."
"An abduction? I wouldn't expect this coming from you. And if I leave aside the your obvious delusion of me being the best scientific mind, the question springs in my mind. How many other scientists have you already abducted? What is your evil master plan and how do you intend to overtake this station? he smiled broadly.
"All it take is a counselor that confuses all and one good scientist, but if you tell anyone else that I'll deny it."
"No, seriously, thank you very much for helping me out there. I'm not sure where it would all end. Probably me being in the brig for unauthorized access to the station. And I'm pretty sure that security guy wouldn't have any troubles with me whatsoever. He'd just stun me with the phaser and then carried me under his arm. Does he have that from canteen? What do you feed those people with?"
Athena shrugged, "Personnel is kind of a disaster ... "
"Nonetheless he should probably get checked on the sickbay. Or science dept can take care of him. I'm not sure how equipped is this station, but I guess that genetics team would be thrilled to get a few samples."
They slowly walked to the section of the docking ring where were the large view ports to the either side of the ring. One facing the deep blackness of space and the other towards the central core that was softly illuminated by the exterior lights and light from offices, labs and quarters.
"To start with more serious things. What happened after I left the Chimera? A few days after I arrived on Valaris, the war started and my home world became one of the first battlegrounds. In the later days the fights moved to another systems, but we were cut off almost everything, including news and means of communication."
"Quite a lot has been going on.... warring with the Romulans mostly. Part of the reason personnel is such a disaster is that many ships were destroyed and other need a lot of repair." She reached out and touched his arm, "The Chimera was one of the ships destroyed..."
Terek already heard some rumors about Chimera taking heavy damage, but this was shock. {How could that behemoth ship be destroyed? How many people died? And what happened to Alex and Jerom?}
"Destroyed? How? When? What about the casualties? Did everyone got to the escape pods in time?"
Now he realized, why the Bragg officers were so serious. He was supposed to be there.
"Can I just say it was awful? I wasn't even aboard myself... I had to watch it from another ship," she answered quietly. She tried to answer his questions to the best of her ability though. "The ship was destroyed during the battle ..... Many made it to escape pods but the Romulans shot at them like there were duck in a shooting gallery until ....." choked up at the remembered feelings, Athena's words fell short. She swallowed down the emotions that threatened to spill over and started again, "I ... I don't know who ....."
"Destroyed? How? When? What about the casualties? Did everyone got to the escape pods in time?"
Now he realized, why the Bragg officers were so serious. He was supposed to be there.
"Can I just say it was awful? I wasn't even aboard myself... I had to watch it from another ship," she answered quietly. She tried to answer his questions to the best of her ability though. "The ship was destroyed during the battle ..... Many made it to escape pods but the Romulans shot at them like there were duck in a shooting gallery until ....." choked up at the remembered feelings, Athena's words fell short. She swallowed down the emotions that threatened to spill over and started again, "I ... I don't know who ....."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to watch..." he has left the sentence unfinished as he didn't know what to say. His thoughts were scattered right now. Memories flashing through his head. He knew he had to ask. He didn't have any news from Alex for too long by now. Before he left the Chimera, they argued a lot. She didn't agree with him taking the leave and tried to persuade him to stay.
"Is... she... I mean, is there any manifest or casualties list? I just need to know." he asked quietly. This really wasn't the thing he expected upon his return to duty. Perhaps the Prophets were punishing him for that LOA he never should have taken.
"On here," Athena said and allowed Terek to look through the new information she had just received on causalities and such.
Terek looked at the console where the names were sliding slowly. He hoped and prayed for Alex Quinn not to be there. But it wasn't meant to be. Slowly as the long list was about to end, the dreaded letters glided on the black screen. 'LtCmdr. Alex Quinn - deceased'
Not even missing in action, not even false hope left for him. In shock he watched as the rest of the list passed away and only somewhere deep in his subconscious he noticed that Jerom Worik wasn't there. But right now, he didn't even realized it. He touched the empty screen, like if he tried to verify the reality of the situation. Then taking a deep breath he faced Athena again.
"Has her family been notified? Did she have a propper burial? Was the body even recovered?"
He knew that there was almost no chance how Alex's body could have been spared the Chimera's demise.
Feeling utterly useless and sensing Terek's emotions jumping around like the questions he asked in rapid succession, she shook her head, "I.. I'm sorry I don't know. I'm sure Rojac is on top of things."
Taking a few deep breaths to get together he said with as calm and emotionless voice as possible: "I think I need a drink." and the moment he siad those words, the irony of the situation struck him. There he was, with the counselor, telling her that he needs to solve his issue with drink. His mouth twisted in a bitter smirk.
"Care to join me? I mean... you will probably have to show me where to get drunk here."
"Fortunately for you I know just the place," she started and lead him off in another direction before adding, "just don't spread it around." They walked together for a couple of steps and added, "And don't make this a habit."
"Can't make any promises right now, but I'll do my best."
===================== END OF LOG ====================
Commander Athena Wellington
CCON
SB Unity
Commander Terek Weranis
CSCiO
SB Unity
===================== END OF LOG ====================
Commander Athena Wellington
CCON
SB Unity
Commander Terek Weranis
CSCiO
SB Unity
