[USS Charon] SD241010.06 || Flashback Log: "Stuffed and Soaked" || Jack Fellos

Lori Sanchez <dakabn@gmail.com> wrote to charon@ucip.org:

"Stuffed and Soaked"

=/ Fellos Homestead, Sydney, Australia, Earth; Earlier in the year \=

"GAaaahhH!"

"Ah, thanks, buddy!" Jack took the soaked toy. It was a stuffed teddy
bear Jack had given Nic for his second birthday. Nic had wrapped his
lips around an ear within a second of grabbing hold of it. By the end
of the day, the bear was soaked with baby slobber. Jack wrinkled his
nose a bit, but smiled as he reached out for his baby brother. Who
seemed more interested in chasing down the cat who was batting at a
ribbon that was hanging from a chair.

Jack chuckled as he stood, setting the soaked bear on the table.
"You'd think I can catch his attention for two minutes to say
goodbye." As he moved to scoop the little boy up before he grabbed the
cat's tail, his mother gave the same pitiful sigh she'd given fifty
times that day.

Nicholas was still technically one. He would be two in a few months,
but with Jack needing to leave the next morning, they decided to have
the party today so Jack could attend. Only about half the people
invited showed up, but it's not like Nic would even know who was there
or not. Those people were gone now, only about an hour later. The cake
was eaten and the gifts opened, and scattered around the house for
that matter. That left the family to themselves.

Susan had said that his big brother being there would be what's
important. Jack didn't get to watch Nic grow up much since he'd been
in the Academy, so it was important for him as well. He wasn't sure
he'd be around for Nic's third birthday. He had no idea where this
assignment would take him.

Now, Jack looked at his mother, "Didn't you have Nic here so you could
deal with me being gone better? I'm not sure he's helping much." Jack
teased her as he turned Nic, now concentrating on chewing some cookie
he had found somewhere, "Look at him! He's too cute to not distract
you!"

So much for joking. His mother just threw her arms around him and
started crying. Which caused Nic to get nervous and Jack could feel
the little body tense up to start his own crying, "Mom, you're
upsetting Nic." He used a hand to stroke her shoulder, trying to
soothe her. "Seriously, tend to him as I say bye to Dad."

Susan kissed her first son on the cheek and grew an immediate smile as
she took her second, "Where'd that cookie come from?"

Jack smiled at the baby talk and stepped into the den, knocking on the
doorframe. He saw his Dad looking at a PADD. "It's too late. My stuff
has already been beamed aboard the Charon. If you find anything wrong,
you'll just have to trust I can fix it. I am going in as an engineer,
after all."

His dad huffed, "You know as well as I do, you'll start out cleaning
isolinear chips."

Jack chuckled, "So. She's a beaut, right?"

The eldest Jack nodded, "You're moving on along, Son." He patted his
son on the back, "I'm really proud of you. We all are. Now if we can
just get Nicholas to hold a decoupler, he'll be right behind you."

Jack smiled, "Thanks. And what if Nic doesn't want to be an engineer?"

His dad huffed at the mere thought. As they came out of the den, his
mother grabbed Jack again, "Another piece of cake?"

"If I do that, I'll have serious sugar overdose. One more cup of
coffee and I've got to get ready to get to HQ so I can beam to
Charon."

His mother seemed satisfied with that and the three sat at the table
chatting while Nic chased after the cat with the bear hanging from his
little teeth.

=/\=

Jack Fellos II

[USS Charon] SD241010.06 - Memento Mori Plot Log "Alea Iacta est" Part II

[USS Charon]

The ship shuddered- her rivets and seams vibrated with intensity, but then, like the moment after exultation, she settled into a gentle hum.  Charon had twisted fate into her own coil- now the two were intertwined and soon would face the last act in this torrid story.  Tilting away from the station the Luna-class ship shot towards the open wormhole- her escape hidden by the chaos of a Tal'Shiar onslaught.  

...

Shiarrael sat steadily in her throne as she observed the bridge.  'What a mess.'  It was hard not to frown at the blood splatter dotting the center of her view screen and while the corpses of the Romulans had been piled against the operations console out of the way it was still rather inelegant to have so many on the bridge.  Sadly the morgue was overflowing and they didn't have time to toss the trash out of the airlock.  Aside from the mess her mind was like a hurricane of thoughts- she watched the view screen with intensity but was still not sure of the path to take.  'It is well known that  victory is never a sure thing and even these children realize the tight rope upon which we walk is tearing apart at the seams.  How do we cross this bridge without falling?'

As they entered the wormhole she was transfixed- it was like a translucent glowing cavern.  Ahead she could see the Endless Sky, the warbird was but a tiny spec amidst the massive corridor.  Part of her had to admire Itsak's tenacity and determination.  Certainly the Vulcans would deserve whatever punishment the elements had for them- their foolishness was incredible, however, Itsak was not the means to that end.  Her fingers tapped on the armrest of her console...there was an old saying: meet a problem with another problem...she stared at the Endless Sky for a long moment...   "Damn it"  She finally blurted out as a thought occurred to her- the production model D'Dherex had a small issue with its shield system.  Certainly the issue hadn't been repaired on an eastern vessel yet?  It was a gamble.  She tapped her commbadge "Colonel Falcon, Lieutenant Warren- gather your men in the Transporter Room.  I will be there to brief you momentarily."

Sliding out of her chair Shiarrael casually strolled over to the tactical console "we are going to board the Endless Sky and retrieve Commander Tyrax-" she instantly recognized the expression 'how' as it doled across the young tactical officer's face but she did not allow him the opportunity to express that thought "the D'Dherex production model frequently had an issue with its shield distribution- if enough weapons fire was pointed" she paused deciding a visual model would be better.  "Computer display holographic diagram of the D'Dherex class of warbird."  In front of them the holographic model of the D'Dherex materialized.  She walked up to it and pointed at the dorsal side "if we concentrate enough weapons fire here their shields will take too long to reallocate enough power to keep it from collapsing- but it will only be a momentary opportunity.  Do you understand?"

He nodded "but Captain...if it's only a momentary opportunity, how will we get the Marines out?"

"It will be up to them to take out the Endless Sky's shield systems after destroying the Memento Mori weapons...as for Sakarra- this ordeal is my responsibility.  I will lead a small team to retrieve her while the Marines work.  But fear not- I will leaving Ambassador Lamont in charge."  She smiled maliciously as her gaze fell onto the Ambassador- but the normal humor was empty.  "Work quickly- full power to weapons and then bring us into firing range."  Shiarrael turned and headed towards the turbo lift wondering if this would be the last time she would sit upon the Charon's throne.

[Meanwhile, Aboard the Endless Sky]

Hanaj stared at the viewscreen wearing a weathered scowl as the image showed the Charon approaching steadily towards them "your cousin certainly is persistent Rekkhai- they are powering up their weapons.  Foolish- does she honestly believe they are a match for us?  Your cousin is much less her reputation then I expected."

"Beware the wounded hnoiyoka Hanaj- her reputation was earned for a reason."  Itsak smiled grimly "she is Rehu and Sahen- I would have expected no less and while I had hoped it would not be the case, sadly she will remain tenacious until the very end.  Let us put her out of her misery.  Destroy the Charon when they reach optimal firing range and then continue to Vulcan."

[To be continued...]   

[USS Charon] SD 241010.06 | Duty Log | "Ready" | Ens. Landon Neyes

=/\= Armory, USS Quantum Fury =/\=

Click it in.

All it took to attach the main power cell of the type three phaser rifle. Landon felt the weight of the heavy rifle in his hands. A weapon capable of blasting it's way through more than four feet of tritanium before the charge was even reduced enough to register. It could vaporize more than just a person, and was able to compress it's blast into a hyper-pulse shock chamber and dispel a massive burst of phased energy in a projectile like discharge. The effectiveness of this technique is widely recognized, and has since been the standard in compression phaser technology since the early 70's of the previous century. The fact that Neyes had never learned to master this type of weapon continued to amaze him.

Snap it on.

A quick twist of the hand and the shoulder strap fastener was clipped into position. Landon had been that guy out on the field before. The guy who hadn't quite gotten used to having a weapon like this on his person all the time. Being the man behind the crosshairs, waiting for the target to come into view. It was an unsettling feeling... just waiting. The reality of the situation was much more fluid, though. Rarely did you have the chance to simply wait for someone to walk into your sights. The target, the enemy, whatever that brass upstairs wanted to call it, was just as versatile as you were. They could sneak up around that ridge in the hills and obliterate your atoms into a fiery dust before you could even blink. On the other hand, you had to be ready to pull the trigger if they showed up in the right place at the right time.

Landon's previous host, Taylor, had been stubborn. He'd tried to master the technique of using a rifle, even though his combat ambitions were far more martial than he could ever understand. Being a joined Trill was an indescribable experience. One person suddenly became 11, and all those skills were infused into the talent pool shared though their memories. Using a weapon that none of the previous hosts could become comfortable with was a mistake, and one that had eventually cost the young marine his like. Had he simply gotten used to the idea of being a support unit rather than someone on the front lines, Landon would probably still be on a Starbase ferrying duty in Federation space, and Taylor would be somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant cleaning up after the second Dominion War. It was strange to think that Landon himself was once one of the many combat soldiers also occupying the armory. He was a part of the team, part of the unit. Something about that used to be comforting.

Flip it over.

A quick recheck of the weapon to ensure it was in prime condition and properly assembled was an integral part of a weapon's check. No one wanted to pre-fire a weapon just before combat, only to realize the only thing they'll be able to discharge is their bladder when they come into contact with the enemy.

Check the sight.

Always important to make sure you can see. It's just one of those things...

"Sir?"

Landon didn't respond.

"Excuse me sir." The woman repeated.

His daze lifted, Neyes cleared his throat and smiled. "Huh? Oh yeah. That's how you put together the newer model type 3's. You'll get the hang of it after a while." He held out the rifle with a friendly grin. Offering it over to the security cadet.

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind." She nodded and went off to the Quartermaster to finish getting ready for the incursion into the Charon.

Neyes closed the clumsy lid of the rifle storage container, sealing it shut. He patted both ends of his custom combat vest and tightened his belt. Both his daggers, with their slick and slight tritanium blades tucked neatly away in the snug gloves at his thighs, just below his hips. He knew better than to use the rifle. It would get him killed. He carried a hand phaser, but it wasn't in his first choice of weapons. The Neyes symbiont was a terrible shot, no exceptions. There hadn't been any hosts with any prior phaser rifle experience, and once they were joined there was no hope for them. Landon stuck to his daggers and martial skills at all costs, and used his engineering expertise to fill in the gaps. Engineering weapons onboard a starship was easier than most people thought. Despite his specialty in warp theory and mechanics, Landon knew his was around the rest of the systems.

He slapped his commbadge into place on his breast and walked out to the airlock deck. It was time to go see his new office.

=/\= END LOG =/\=

Ens Landon Neyes

Chief Engineer

USS CHARON