ath: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!atl-c02.usenetserver.com!news.usenetserver.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!newsfeed-east.nntpserver.com!nntpserver.com!news2.euro.net!216.196.110.149.MISMATCH!border2.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news-out.tin.it!news-in.tin.it!news4.tin.it.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: From: RAdm Amy DaSilva Newsgroups: alt.startrek.role-playing,alt.startrek.creative,alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise,alt.startrek.vulcan Subject: TFE Fleet plot: "Hide and Seek" Prelude Lines: 146 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Turnpike/6.02-U () Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 16:35:01 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.50.162.126 X-Complaints-To: "Please send abuse reports to abuse@tin.it and technical notifications to newsmaster@tin.it" X-Trace: news4.tin.it 1096821301 82.50.162.126 (Sun, 03 Oct 2004 18:35:01 MET DST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 18:35:01 MET DST Organization: TIN Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.role-playing:9038 alt.startrek.creative:160969 alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise:279078 X-Received-Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 09:35:01 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) The First Era SIM Group Presents "Hide and Seek" Story by Suzanna Star Trek and related names are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. This original work of fiction is written strictly for non-profit and is solely for the entertainment of its author and readers. Copyright 2004, by The First Era http://www.firstera.net Prelude: The First Strike [Text within these [ ] brackets indicate alien language translated into English] ////////// Far away in deep space /////////// The three black ships were barely visible to the naked eye as they streaked through space. Yet if someone were able to see them, they would admire the sleek lines. After the unexplainable loss of the single scout ship, the new policy was to never send out less than two ships into this region of space. The orders were clear as well, their survival depended on it. After all they had consumed all the natural resources on their own planet; the Paladan boarded their huge city sized ships in search of other planets that could sustain them. "i Htyil.kes'till," [Engage stealth mode]. Jjilu ordered from the command throne in the centre of the bridge. The male war master on the throne was more reptilian than humanoid. A bipedal, with purple scales covering a large part of his body, partially hidden by the black leather uniform, his deep orange eyes were contrasted by a surprising mane of long blond hair. "mtem hUi" [Aye, Sir]. They were still far from their designated coordinates, but Jjilu was not going to take any chances. Not after that garbled message that had been received three olki ago, followed by the short emergency beacon signal that indicated that the ship had been destroyed. The message had been too garbled to understand it fully, but it alluded to survivors on one of there prepared worlds. There could be no survivors. Their own existence was based on surprise attacks on the worlds that they needed to survive. Any survivors were a potential threat. They could warn other worlds and try to stop them. It was a lesson that had been learned many generations ago on and the hard way. There were two colony ships on their way too, six months behind them, waiting for final confirmation of the right co-ordinates to set course for. ////// zGillibian home world ///////// "Swoyzllt aOhgEkkms," [Grandlord aOhgEkkms] the Elder bowed once. [Thank you for coming so quickly.] [I serve the zGillibians, Elder. How may I be of service?] aOhgEkkms bowed in return greeting, the message had been marked urgent, and it was not often she was asked to come here. [Our early warning system has received a recording that we would like you to look at.] Swoyzllt aOhgEkkms watched on the screen as the recording played back. Her eyes widening when she saw the outline of the three ships on it, and fear gripped her as her eyes recognised the ships before they disappeared into nowhere. Now she understood why she had been asked to come here. She was one of the few that had seen one of the scout ships in this generation of zGillibians. In fact, the zGilibhuoplptz had returned home eventually after they had destroyed the scout ship, a long trip that had included several precautious detours, stops, and in full stealth mode. They had returned home, as much heroes as villains. [Where was this recorded, and what is their course?] [It appears that they have sent three ships to check up our world. They will be here in two months at current speed]. aOhgEkkms closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. Would they ever be safe? She had asked that question once before. Would they ever be safe if they continued in the old ways of hiding? Ever since their encounter and that devastating attack five otwkus ago, their world had been decimated. A few hundred had survived against al odds and over the last forty generations managed to escape detection, managed to stay hidden, managed to survive and grow and prosper again. Their whole survival then and now, and their entire existence depended on stealth, on staying hidden, and their existence was geared around it. For every few generations, the attackers had returned, to make sure there was no on alive; and that there was no record of what they had done; or for anyone to see the blood that was on their hands.... Until that faithful run in with the Earth ship. Over the otwkus all effort and scientific research and focus had been geared at stealth, at avoiding detection. All they wanted to do was live. And stay alive. The accidental 'attack' by the Earth ship had opened her eyes. Her actions then, after the incident, had gone against all laws and customs of her own people. If it hadn't been for the fact that the majority of her crew had been badly injured, they would have killed her over these violations, violations that brought a risk to their home and existence. Yet, what choice had she had? Her healer had been killed; all major systems had been off line. The crew had been too injured to fix it, and the self-destruct system off line, so there was no way to destroy any evidence. She had taken the chance to trust these strange pink skinned aliens and surmised that allowing the aliens on the ship had been the fastest way to get things fixed and give them a chance at survival. Their healer had helped treat the injured and an engineering detachment had healed the ship. Captain Hawke had shown to be trustworthy, and had done his best to make right the accidental damage he had caused. Not to mention that with great risk to himself and his ship he had defended zGilibhuoplptz when the Scout ship had found them. There was still the question in her mind, as well as in the minds some of the more sceptical elders, if the zGilibhuoplptz would have been found if it had not been for the accident. What had been so important though was that for the first time, due to the circumstances, zGillibians had not run. They had not hidden. They stood up and fought for survival. They stood tall. They fought and won. And the destroyers of their world had been given a bloody nose. Even if it was with help... aOhgEkkms and her crew had seen that it was possible to stand up, to not hide forever. That knowledge had changed her perspective, even when the Elders were still scared. Even more scared because her crew had seen it as well. The elders, she knew, were steeped in tradition. In a rut. As she had been, until she had encountered these bold pink skinned aliens. She, and her crew, had gained strength from them. Yet how strong was she now? When fear gripped her heart. When all she wanted to do was run and hide. Like the Elders. At the same time, she had seen something in their eyes when they had asked her to come here and view the recording, besides the fear she knew was consuming them. It was Hope. What to join this adventure... join Starfleet - The First Era, the Internet's first Enterprise Era PBeM group, providing quality Email SIMming since November 2001. http://www.firstera.net -- =/\= RAdm Amy DaSilva =/\= Fleet Commander Starfleet: The First Era http://www.firstera.net "There is a first for Everything!!" NewMessage: Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.mailgate.org!news-out.tin.it!news-in.tin.it!news3.tin.it.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <562pWTBHXBaBFwbh@blankespoor.org> From: RAdm Amy DaSilva Newsgroups: alt.startrek.role-playing,alt.startrek.creative,alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise,alt.startrek.vulcan,uk.media.tv.sf.startrek Subject: TFE Fleet plot: "Hide and Seek" Prelude - Continued References: Lines: 199 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Turnpike/6.02-U () Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 16:46:46 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.50.164.134 X-Complaints-To: "Please send abuse reports to abuse@tin.it and technical notifications to newsmaster@tin.it" X-Trace: news3.tin.it 1097340406 82.50.164.134 (Sat, 09 Oct 2004 18:46:46 MET DST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 18:46:46 MET DST Organization: TIN Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.role-playing:9043 alt.startrek.creative:161021 alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise:280320 uk.media.tv.sf.startrek:249204 X-Received-Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 09:47:26 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) The First Era SIM Group Presents "Hide and Seek" Story by Suzanna Star Trek and related names are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. This original work of fiction is written strictly for non-profit and is solely for the entertainment of its author and readers. Copyright 2004, by The First Era http://www.firstera.net Prelude: The First Strike (Continued) [Text within these [ ] brackets indicate alien language translated into English] ////// zGillibian home world ///////// The Council chamber was silent and in shock. The Elder had just shown them the recording and Grandlord aOhgEkkms was present. An unusual occurrence, normally only the twelve Elders were allowed in this private Council Chamber. This was no ordinary meeting though; it was more about hearing the death sentence for the zGillibians. In the past, only a single scout ship would have returned to the home world to check up on it. Now, there were three on its way. [If the scout ship had not been destroyed, they would never have sent three ships!] A greying male said after he got to his feet. [If we had not destroyed the scout ship, they would already have known that some of us survived here. Now, there is a good chance that they don't know that yet, and only sent three ships because they lost the one, and they do not want to run the risk of losing another one. We never did detect a full message being sent.] aOhgEkkms replied. [But you cannot be sure of that... they may know. They are coming here now, with three ships. We can not hide from three ships, not with their technology! Nor defend ourselves.] [We have time to prepare. And we should consider a full evacuation.] [Leave our planet? And put other worlds at risk? How can we leave our sacred grounds? This is our world. We survived the first decimation, and some survived. The same will happen now.] [We went from two billion down to two thousand, now we are back up to two million. If they come back, there may not be enough of zGillibians left to restart our population.] Pprolsiokk, the Senior Elder and leader of the Chamber of Elders listened silently as the arguments between the eleven Elders continued. He wanted to hear all the arguments, all the concerns before making a decision. Eventually, the discussion died down, and Pprolsiokk stood. He adjusted the long robes of office and turned to the Grandlord. [Swoyzllt aOhgEkkms, you have met the Scout ship, you met them in battle. Something none of us have, I was a mere child when the previous check on our Home world was made, few remember them, none have met them. Except you. Yet you have been silent so far. I wish to hear your recommendation] He bowed once and then sat down again. aOhgEkkms nodded and stood. She felt very out of place. The Chamber of Elders was the top level of the zGillibian Government; she was just one of the ship Captains that ensured there were enough supplies for their people to survive. In the two years since her return from that faithful mission, she had been thrust more and more into leadership positions, and she didn't know if she able to do what everyone seemed to expect of her. The one thing that no one had mentioned here, showed how much stuck in the old ways of thinking everyone was. Their customs, laws, rituals and traditions were all geared to hiding, to running. What she was about to suggest was doing something no one of the surviving zGillibian population, except the crew of the zGilibhuoplptz, had done. [Elders... my suggestion is different. As you have correctly pointed out, we can not hide from three ships, the way we used to against one ship.] She paused to consider how to phrase what she was going to say. She had learned to think more strategically in the last two years, and be more open to new ideas, yet the Elders were still steeped in tradition. Which meant organising the best way to hide. [My suggestion consists of three items, each an important part of the whole. First of all, as suggested by you, we should evacuate as many people as possible. We should also leave enough people on the planet for them to think that this is all there is, leaving them with less reasons to look elsewhere for us.] There were approving nods for this suggestion, which was also the reason she had made it as a first one. She took a deep breath, and then looked straight at the Elders in the Chamber when she continued [My next suggestion is to contact the Earthling. Captain Hawke, and ask their assistance. It was with his help that we survived, and stood up against them. Successfully.] The room erupted into gasps and cries of shock and even outrage. After a few moments, Pprolsiokk merely stood and raised both hands. Soon the eleven Elders quietened down again. [What is the third item, Grandlord?] He asked. [With the Earthlings help, stand up against these ships, against those that decimated our world before. Not hide, but defend our home world against those bastards, make a clear visible stand.] Once again, the room erupted in a similar fashion as before, cries of protest; that it was against their laws and custom. That it would never work. aOhgEkkms shook her head and raised her hand, when the room fell quiet again, she spoke. [Elders... before our world was attacked, forty generations ago, we were a proud people. We had courage. We used to explore. Our current laws and traditions only came into effect after the decimation. They served us well during this time, but we as people have evolved, our old strength and courage is still within us, even if we seem to have forgotten about it.] She paused again, making eye contact with each of them [having seen them, having faced one of those scout ships in battle... I know we can survive this.... but not by hiding]. /////////// Later - On board the zGilibhuoplptz ////////// [All systems are ready; all crew on board, Grandlord.] Sklydemargf reported. aOhgEkkms stood in the centre of the bridge and nodded to her First who had given her the report. [Break orbit and set course for the Terran system. Engage full stealth mode.] She ordered and walked towards her office. [You have Command,] she added before the doors closed behind her. She stopped as soon as she was alone and closed her eyes. If she had thought before that the mantel of responsibility had been heavy, that had been a walk in the park compared to how she felt now. After long discussions, the Chamber of Elders had taken on her suggestions, it had followed more discussions about how to contact the Earthling without being detected or traced. She took a deep breath and moved to sit behind her desk. The ancient text described a single ship in the sky that unleashed the decimation of their world. The zGillibian level of technology had been less in those days, yet, just like their own species had evolved, so had the aggressors. Now there were three ships heading their way, and no one was sure if they were of the same class and capability as the one referred to in the text. aOhgEkkms assumed that they were the same as the one she had encountered two years ago. They looked the same on the recording. Her orders were clear, without attracting attention or being traceable, speak directly with Captain Hawke, and ask for assistance. No one else, get as much information from the Earthling and if possible support in the way of ships as well. Despite all the research in stealth technology and hiding, they knew so little about the aggressors. She could only hope that she could convince the Earthling. "Swoyzllt," [Grandlord], it was the voice of her First on the comm system. [We have left orbit and stealth mode has been engaged. ETA to the Terran system, six days]. ///////// Three days later ///////// In the darkness, a small light started blinking on a console. It was a proximity detector, set for specific sensor readings. Like zGillibian ones. They thought their stealth technology was the best, and it was the best. Still, the Paladan knew exactly what to scan for; they had decimated the world after all. Another console woke up, as did the first of the three stasis pods. Half an hour later, the sleeping figure with the purple scales, orange eyes and mane of blond hair stirred. This small ship had three Paladans in stasis, having been dormant for nearly a century. Waiting for the right signs, when the ship would wake them up, and they would finish the job. Preparing the zGillibian home world for the arrival of the city sized ships. Wearily, Cilaens pushed the top of the stasis chamber open and stepped out. She moved her hair through her mane and then made her way to the bridge of the small ship to check the readings. In the last century, she been awoken twice before, both times it had been a false alarm. Cilaens tapped on the console to activate it and double check the sensor readings. [No false alarm this time.] She mumbled to herself and went to wake her two companions. It would take several hours before the ship was ready to move, which gave the zGillibians a one day lead, but they had a trail to follow, and would catch up with them in less then two days.... To Be Continued.... /////////////////////////////////// Want to join Starfleet - The First Era, the internet's FIRST Enterprise Era PBeM group, providing quality Email SIMming since November 2001, and be part of this fleet plot? Fill in the application form (http://www.firstera.net/SignUp/signup.htm) and get started! -- =/\= RAdm Amy DaSilva =/\= Fleet Commander Starfleet: The First Era http://www.firstera.net "There is a first for Everything!!" email: blanhe2@blankespoor.nospam.org (take the nospam out to reach me ;) ) NewMessage: Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!in.100proofnews.com!in.100proofnews.com!npeer.de.kpn-eurorings.net!border2.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news-out.tin.it!news-in.tin.it!news4.tin.it.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: From: RAdm Amy DaSilva Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current,alt.startrek.role-playing,alt.startrek.creative,alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise,alt.startrek.vulcan,uk.media.tv.sf.startrek Subject: TFE Fleet plot: "Hide and Seek" Prelude - Concluded Lines: 269 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Turnpike/6.02-U () Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:44:22 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.50.148.252 X-Complaints-To: "Please send abuse reports to abuse@tin.it and technical notifications to newsmaster@tin.it" X-Trace: news4.tin.it 1097696662 82.50.148.252 (Wed, 13 Oct 2004 21:44:22 MET DST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 21:44:22 MET DST Organization: TIN Xref: news.earthlink.net rec.arts.startrek.current:387307 alt.startrek.role-playing:9052 alt.startrek.creative:161058 alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise:281758 uk.media.tv.sf.startrek:249292 X-Received-Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 12:44:24 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) The First Era SIM Group Presents "Hide and Seek" Story by Suzanna Star Trek and related names are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. This original work of fiction is written strictly for non-profit and is solely for the entertainment of its author and readers. Copyright 2004, by The First Era http://www.firstera.net Prelude: The First Strike (Concluded) [Text within these [ ] brackets indicate alien language translated into English] //////////// On the zGilibhuoplptz ////////// They were making good time, Swoyzllt [Grandlord] aOhgEkkms though as she studied the reports. It was a six day journey, made seven days because she had added some additional and unpredictable evasive detours. The tension on the ship was palpable, even though few of the zGillibian crew knew the full details of their mission or the impeding threat to their home world; still it was obvious to everyone on board that their mission was one of high importance. They had turned on to the last leg of the journey at warp 4, and one relatively minor course correction until they would reach the edge of the Terran system. Of course the ship was still in full stealth mode, as they always travelled, on top of that, she had ordered a double shift to run both in Engineering and in the strategic planning department. [Grandlord] A voice from the Strategic planning station caught her attention. [What is it?] [I am not entirely sure, but I think I have been picking up a strange reading... it is almost as if we are being followed]. aOhgEkkms swivelled her chair to face eAlstin, her chief of Strategic planning, and one of the very few people that she trusted with her life. He had been on the zGilibhuoplptz since she had earned her commission as Captain here, and she had not come across anyone more capable. A statement like the one he made meant that he was on to something. [Explain]. [Over the last two days our sensors have picked up a few blips. This in itself is not a worry, we often pick those up, and we keep track of them, run computer analysis on them to identify them. It started two days ago with a blip that the computer was unable to identify. Again, that in itself is not uncommon, it could be a spatial anomaly for instance] eAlstin started to explain. [If I may?] he gestured to the view screen and the Swoyzllt nodded. eAlstin tapped on his console and a map with their travelled route appeared on the viewscreen. [This is where the first blip was registered]. A light flashed on, [and I have picked the same blip up four more times since. Never long enough to get a sensor scan. It is irregular, and it could be nothing but coincidence... I am not Chief Strategic Planning Officer to believe in coincidence]. [What would the course be if it was a ship?] aOhgEkkms asked as she studied the display. eAlstin worked his console and a few moments later, a flowing white line appeared on the display. [I am adding our course]. It took an effort not to show much of a reaction when she saw the two lines. eAlstin was right, this was no coincidence [It would seem they have trouble following us, but have found a way to track. Our evasive patterns are effective, if it wasn't for the trail we appear to be leaving for them. Can we increase our stealth mode in any way?] [If we reduce life support, turn off all unused systems and lighting, it will reduce our power output by 5-10% maximum. We are already running on optimal conditions, apart from those measures, the only alternative is reducing speed and diverting that to the stealth systems]. [Do it... reduce life support and turn off all non essential systems. Helm, adjust course, bearing 280 mark 036. Let's see if they will continue to follow us after that, keep your eyes open for it]. The Grandlord watched the proceedings for a moment and then stood. Reducing speed was not an option yet. They had to get to the Terran system.[First... you have the bridge. Keep me informed]. The Swoyzllt retreated to her office, what she needed to do was prepare a message. Her mission was to contact the Earthling, and explain the situation, and request assistance. She could not fail. [Computer, record message] [This is Grandlord aOhgEkkms of the zGilibhuoplptz. I need to urgently speak with Captain Hawke of the Yorktown. We require assistance. A message did get out during our last encounter, and three ships are en route to our home world. ETA two months]. She ended the recording and closed the message, while contemplating her next move. What if the zGilibhuoplptz didn't make it, if they still could get a message out, they would need to know the location of the home world. Yet giving out that information was a crime, normally. A crime punishable with death. She thought for a long moment before she continued [Computer, add the home world location to the message and use full encryption, only to be opened by Captain Hawke or his First...]. She paused a moment while searching in her brain for the name. [Sub-Commander Suzhran. Store the message and stand by the send it as distress call, tight beam to Earth only]. ////// On the Paladan ship, not far away /////// [I've lost the trail]. [What do you mean, you lost them again??] [Must be another one of their evasive patterns, I recommend all stop until I can pick them up again] [All stop!] Cilaens worked her console and the starts no longer streaked past the small vessel. Over the last three days since it had been awakened from its long, long slumber, they had trailed the zGillibian ship. There orders were simple, catch up and destroy any zGillibians. Despite having lost them a few times, they were making progress and in fact should be catching up with them within the hour or so. Each time they had lost them, an all stop followed by an active sensor located their scent again. Within the hour, the worthless beings would meet their final destiny, and the future of the Paladan would be more secure. [I think I've got them again... but fainter than expected. Maybe they realised they were being followed?] [By extrapolating our sensor blips?] Cilaens asked, with her scaled hand she pushed some of her long mane out of her face again. "mtem hUi" [Aye, Sir]. [Let's finish what we came here to do, full speed ahead, start charging weapons]. //////////// On the zGilibhuoplptz ////////// [Grandlord, there was another blip, longer this time. Still not long enough to get a proper reading though]. aOhgEkkms nodded, after eAlstin had spoken up, she had known it was bad news. [How close? When will they catch up?] [Current speed, less than one hour, Grandlord]. [Is there an Asteroid near by?] It was their last hope of hiding. With their technology, they could make themselves look indistinguishable from an Asteroid. But not if that was the only rock in the neighbourhood. [Negative, Ma'am]. [Increase speed to warp 4.5]. If they couldn't hide, the next option was to close the distance to Earth as much as possible. The next option was one she did not want to make. After the previous encounter, she had trained her crew; they were better prepared than any zGillibian in history ever was... But it was no guarantee that it would be enough. [We have their attention, Ma'am. Like ups they can't keep up their stealth with higher speeds though. They have increased to warp 4.7, we cannot out run them]. aOhgEkkms took a deep breath, and then called out [Battle station!] She had to fight her fear back down again, before it could overwhelm her. Fighting was not in their nature, ever, [charge weapons and shielding]. It was only a few minutes later that everything and everyone was reported as ready. aOhgEkkms stood from her chair and looked around the bridge crew, [All hands, this is Grandlord aOhgEkkms speaking. Today, we fight.... We do not have the option to hide, and our mission is too important to fail here. All stop, turn the ship to face our enemy... we will face them, with our heads held high. We gave them a bloody nose before. I intend to do no less again.] She paused and nodded for the channel to be closed again. As they waited for the ship to arrive, aOhgEkkms found herself wondering for a moment if she should just try to disable the ship and learn information from them, or destroy them. She shook her head though, her mission was to deliver the message to Earth, and there was no time to beat around the bush. She turned to eAlstin. [As soon as they are in range, lock all weapons and fire.] There was a long silence, and all eyes turned to the Swoyzllt. This was something no zGillibian had ever done before. It wasn't until eAlstin replied with an [Aye, Ma'am], that everyone returned to heir stations and focused on the task ahead. ////// On the Paladan ship /////////// [We will be in range in fifteen minutes...] Cilaens had wanted to add more but corrected herself when she saw the changed readings. [They know we are here, they stopped and are awaiting us]. [Shields and weapons are charged and on stand by]. [ETA in less than five minutes, stand by to drop out of warp]. [Fire when within range]. //////////// On the zGilibhuoplptz ////////// [They dropped out of warp.... 30 seconds... they are in range]. [Fire all weapons and start evasive patterns]. There was no doubt that if it hadn't been for their surprise first shot that the zGillibians would never have stood an actual chance. The small Paladan ship took the first hit hard, but they quickly recovered. They had an advantage of being a lot more agile, not to mention their superior experience as warriors. Yet, it was countered by the determination of the Grandlord and her crew. The zGilibhuoplptz was sleek as it moved through the darkness of space, its phasers lashing out at the Paladan ship that darted around it like a fly around an animal, whose phasers looked like stings, but were actually packing a punch. At times each was able to avoid a volley, other times they scored direct hits. [Grandlord, our main power couplings, our shields are starting to fail... one or two more hits and they are gone]. [Switch to back up systems... auxiliary power to the shields, keep firing at them.] [Their shields are suffering...] eAlstin reported, he couldn't finish his sentence because he was thrown to the floor when a console next to his exploded in a hail of sparks. [they were down to 20%], he said as he struggled back to his feet. The zGilibhuoplptz banked steeply, just about avoiding the latest charge as their phasers lashed out again, missing cleanly, but the next volley from the small Paladan ship hit, and hit hard, rocking the ship violently. [Our shields are down]. [Return fire!!!] aOhgEkkms shouted above the mayhem. [Computer, send out general distress call, tight beam to Earth, add the encoded message, and tell them Grandlord aOhgEkkms is asking for emergency assistance.] She took a deep breath and then called out [Damage report!] Before anyone could answer, another volley hit, just as the zGilibhuoplptz returned fire. aOhgEkkms was flung from her chair; the lights on the bridge flickered and then went out. Not that she noticed, she was unconscious on the floor, just like most of the bridge crew. ////// On the Paladan ship /////////// [Cilaens.... we need to retreat. Our weapons are off line, our shields are fried. Life support is failing.] She merely nodded. [They are not going anywhere... we'll come back to finish the job... soon]. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Want to join Starfleet - The First Era, the internet's FIRST Enterprise Era PBeM group, providing quality Email SIMming since November 2001, and be part of this fleet plot? Fill in the application form (http://www.fir stera.net/SignUp/signup.htm) and get started! -- =/\= RAdm Amy DaSilva =/\= Fleet Commander Starfleet: The First Era http://www.firstera.net "There is a first for Everything!!" email: blanhe2@blankespoor.nospam.org (take the nospam out to reach me ;) ) NewMessage: ath: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!in.100proofnews.com!in.100proofnews.com!tiscali!newsfeed1.ip.tiscali.net!news-out.tin.it!news-in.tin.it!news4.tin.it.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: From: RAdm Amy DaSilva Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current,alt.startrek.role-playing,alt.startrek.creative,alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise,alt.startrek.vulcan,uk.media.tv.sf.startrek Subject: TFE Fleet plot "Hide and Seek". Act 1 Continued.. Lines: 162 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Turnpike/6.02-U () Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 21:16:08 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.52.141.132 X-Complaints-To: "Please send abuse reports to abuse@tin.it and technical notifications to newsmaster@tin.it" X-Trace: news4.tin.it 1100466968 82.52.141.132 (Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:16:08 MET) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:16:08 MET Organization: TIN Xref: news.earthlink.net rec.arts.startrek.current:388634 alt.startrek.role-playing:9078 alt.startrek.creative:161353 alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise:292969 uk.media.tv.sf.startrek:250188 X-Received-Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 13:16:10 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Want to join Starfleet - The First Era, the internet's FIRST Enterprise Era PBeM group, providing quality Email SIMming since November 2001, and be part of this fleet plot? Fill in the Application (http://www.firstera.net/SignUp/signup.htm) form and get started! ##################### Starfleet - The First Era Presents "Hide and Seek" Story by Suzanna Star Trek and related names are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. This original work of fiction is written strictly for non-profit and is solely for the entertainment of its author and readers. Copyright 2004, by The First Era http://www.firstera.net Act 1: Helping Hand. [Text within these [ ] brackets indicate alien language translated into English] ////// On the Paladan ship /////// Cilean rested against the bulkhead for a moment and closed her eyes. For the last two days the three of them had worked non-stop to try and repair the worst of the damage. They had taken turns at limited sleep, and her eyes now were a beige colour. Not as dark brown as just after the fight, but not the normal, healthy orange. Time had also helped to heal, although her injuries required further treatment and the pain she felt was suppressed with medication. At this point though, Cilean did not expect to survive. As long as she succeeded, and the Paladan cause protected, she was more than willing to sacrifice herself. In fact, it was an honour that each Paladan took serious. She looked around the room she was in; it housed the deflector and shield control systems. Soon, they would be ready to finish the job. They'd shadowed the zGillibian ship while working on repairs and now if she could get the shield generator fixed, it would be time. She picked up her tools again and returned to work, there would be time enough to rest once they had completed their mission. Fifteen minutes later she was done. Carefully she put the tools back on the floor and stretched her back before she ran her hand through her long blond mane. [The shield generator has been patched up; we should have at least shields at fifty percent strength. The backup EPS is still fried though. What is the rest of our status?] Cilean asked as she stepped off the ladder from the lower deck in their small ship onto the bridge. [Warp engines are still off line, but we do have full impulse. The torpedo system is working, and I've just got our tactical sensors back online, Sir.] [What is the status of... them?] Cilean didn't bother naming them. All three of them know who she meant. It was their target, nothing else mattered. [They got company.] [What do you mean, company?] Cilean asked as she walked over to the tactical station. [Who are they?] She asked when she saw the display which showed the smaller ship in position next to the zGillibian ship. [I don't know, Sir. Based on the readings, they dropped out of warp about ten minutes ago. It would appear a small shuttle of some form is flying between them. There it goes, again.] On the small viewscreen, the shuttle pod moved from the smaller ship to the H shaped, badly damaged ship. Cilean studied the display and the readings. [I guess they replied to the distress call. What are our chances to destroy both?] [Even in our current state, we should be able to succeed. We don't have much in the way of back up systems, but my scans so far indicate that the smaller ship doesn't have any shielding.] [How long until we would be in weapons range?] [If we set a direct intercept course, fifteen minutes.] [Do they know we are here?] Cilean asked. [I don't know, Sir. We are using Stealth, but with the damage we've had, it is not functioning at 100%. They may be aware that something is out there but not what it is.] Cilean thought for a long moment while studying the read outs. [Set an intercept course and raise shields. All weapons to stand by. Don't drop the Stealth until we are in weapons range.] //////////// On the zGilibhuoplptz //////////// [Grandlord to the Bridge]. aOhgEkkms looked at the Vulcan for a moment then struggled to her feet. The intonation said enough, there was an urgency to the voice that she didn't like. An urgency that said there was trouble up ahead. Sub-Commander Suzhran followed the Grandlord on to the bridge. The shuttle pod had just returned tot he zGilibhuoplptz with the Engineering team, and she had been discussing the request for assistance in more detail with the Grandlord when they were called to the bridge. [There is an energy distortion on a direct intercept course to our ship.] [It's them, right?] aOhgEkkms asked. [Yes, Grandlord. Fourteen minutes until they are in range. I can't get a detailed scan on them, they must have repaired a fair bit of damage so far, at least enough to think that they can manage to finish us off.] "Grandlord, they may have decided to strike now because they are concerned about your systems being repaired quicker now that we are here. Logic dictates that our arrival may have provoked them into reacting now." Suzhran said. She had walked over to the tactical station and studied the display. "What systems do you have online?" [Limited shielding, and limited weapons. We are not really in a condition for any fight.] aOhgEkkms replied. "I must return to the Nautilus, but we will stand by you as long as we can. It is imperative that you at the very least make it to Earth. I recommend that you come with me to the Nautilus." [I can not leave my ship until there is no choice left.] aOhgEkkms said. "That may be too late, Grandlord. The Nautilus does not have a transporter, so I can not even attempt to beam you off the ship at the last moment." [My place is here... without me, they have no chance at all. You have all the information on the data chip I gave you.] Suzhran looked for a long moment at the Grandlord then nodded. "We will prevail. I will send out a call to any near by Starfleet ship and request assistance." With that she nodded one more time and headed towards the airlock as she whipped out her communicator. "Suzhran to Nautilus. Prepare for battle. There is a hostile ship approaching. I am returning now. Commander Thompson, if I am not mistaken, the Meridian is not far away. Send out a call to them and request assistance. Suzhran out." ########################## Want to join Starfleet - The First Era, the internet's FIRST Enterprise Era PBeM group, providing quality Email SIMming since November 2001, and be part of this fleet plot? Fill in the Application (http://www.firstera.net/SignUp/signup.htm) form and get started! -- =/\= RAdm Amy DaSilva =/\= Fleet Commander Starfleet: The First Era http://www.firstera.net "There is a first for Everything!!" email: blanhe2@blankespoor.nospam.org (take the nospam out to reach me ;) ) NewMessage: