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       #Post#: 413--------------------------------------------------
       Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Kira Phaserman Date: January 17, 2012, 1:20 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Kira had broken off to meet their contact she has been told that
       would be best as to not spook him. It was night on Pacifica a
       cool mist had settled in the not so great part of town. Jon and
       Jenna were back at the hotel waiting for her. Kira hugged her
       cloak around her she hadn't dressed the greatest for this kind
       of weather with her short black dress. She waited in the shadows
       for her contact to appear. She hadn't been told who only a where
       and a when.
       Stonewall stepped out of the shadows. His black shirt and dark,
       denim pants allowed the large, muscular man to blend in. "You're
       Gemini?" He asked.
       Kira turned, she almost recognized the voice and was suddenly
       glad that she had been surgically altered,  she no longer had
       her cat ears or tail though they could be recovered at a later
       date she now looked human. “Yes” Kira said as she caught site of
       her contact. “Tom” she said anger flashing through her.
       "Do we know each other?" He said, confused, his hand hovering
       near the type I phaser he had hidden.
       Kira looked around and stepped closer “Easy, no need to shoot
       me. I will explain but not here in the open” Kira's eyes darted
       around.
       Tom kept his hand near the phaser, but stepped closer. "Alright.
       Where shall we go then?" Tom stayed back out of view of the
       streets. He was still wanted for a litany of crimes.
       “This way” Kira started towards the abandoned warehouse she had
       seen a block down once inside she activated her subcutaneous
       implant to scan the area for unwanted guests or devices when she
       was sure the area was clear she turned to stonewall. “Give me
       one good reason I shouldn't shoot you and drag your ass back to
       Starfleet for what you have done to my son-in-law and his
       family”
       "Kira?" Tom said, impressed by the surgical alterations. "I've
       got a few, and I promise if I survive this Praxis will be
       released." He looked around, then overturned an empty bucket and
       sat. "The best reason is, starfleet already caught me."
       “That's Admiral Phaserman to you Colonel” Kira leaned back
       against a post and looked down at him. “Your our contact, let me
       guess some jackass in starfleet intel decided to promise you the
       charges would be dropped if you worked for him.” Kira said
       knowing how Starfleet intel worked she had been the director
       there for a few years awhile back. “In the mean time Praxis is
       sitting on the USS Veroto twiddling his thumbs wondering if he
       is going to lose everything because your dumb ass has left him
       out to dry. I swear to god Colonel if he goes down for this I
       will hunt your ass down and kill you myself and then I will
       stick your head on the bow of the Veroto”
       “Praxis' arrest was an unforseen and unintended consequence of
       the planned mission. Appearently one of my subordinates filed an
       SCIS report about our actions on Koliath. The fact that the
       “terrorist attack” occurred on Koliath gave SCIS an excuse to
       investigate, and my appearent death, along with Billy's, left
       Praxis as the senior officer, and the one to take the heat.” Tom
       took a deep breath. “An agent by the name of Stuck jumped me
       with a Phaser, told me to either play along or he'd throw me to
       SCIS. I won't lie, I'm guilty as charged, but the idea of
       spending the rest of my life in a prison colony just doesn't
       sound fun.”
       Kira growled, “No instead my daughter and grand daughter are
       left without their husband and father. Your a selfish prick
       Colonel Westover, I may have to work with you but I don't like
       you” Kira's anger caused her fangs to extend. She pushed away
       from the pole and stood up straight.
       “I'm not selfish, Admiral. I hadn't even heard they had arrested
       Praxis until Agent Stuck was briefing me in. Had I known they
       were going to arrest him I would have had Col. Williams take me
       back to Leatherneck. I've also written a statement, in the event
       of my death on this mission, stating that the order to carry out
       the criminal acts originated with me, acting on my own authority
       as Commander, 1st Marine Division. I would never have discussed
       it with Praxis anyways. He's a great man and a good officer, but
       he spends a tad too much time trying to make the war into
       something less than the terrible atrocity it actually is. It was
       my decision, and one I and I alone must accept judgment for.”
       “Until my Son-in-law is cleared of all charges, don't expect me
       to like you. You messed with my family Colonel, this is my fleet
       how do you think this makes me look? I've already gotten heat
       about how I am running my fleet because of YOUR actions. Maybe
       next time you will think about how your actions reflect on those
       around you.” Kira moved closer to him. “You wanna talk about
       answering for your actions and accepting judgment Colonel, here
       is my judgment as your commanding officer, as General
       Hardfighters commanding officer, that marine base will be under
       heavy scrutiny from me, and if you survive this with your career
       intact, I will make your life a living hell” Kira got in his
       face. “Is that understood Colonel?”
       “Yes, Ma'am.” Tom said. He knew Kira was dead serious. Inside,
       Tom felt horrible that his friend was in cuffs because of his
       own, stupid actions. “So, how many people are in your team?” He
       asked, ready to get down to business.
       “Three including myself” Kira said backing off and moving over
       to lean against the pole again. “How are you getting us in?”
       Kira asked.
       “I have to place a call. The local cell is expecting you, and
       sent me to get you. The cell has been laying low lately, since
       the explosion on Leatherneck. My cover is that I used a real
       terrorist attack to cover my escape, so I wouldn't have to face
       criminal charges.”
       “Jenna and Jon are back at the hotel we can grab them and head
       over to the terrorist cell. Do they know the 'terrorist attack'
       was us?” Kira asked.
       “Yes. That's why they accepted you. The leader of the cell
       called it absolutely brilliant, with a touch of divine
       intervention that you could attack such a heavily fortified
       installation.”
       “Religious nut ball huh? What is it this time? Some sort of god
       telling them that the federation is some sort of evil creation
       and needs to be stopped?” Kira asked they hadn't recived much
       intel before the undercover mission since there wasn't much on
       their leader Kernada.
       “Pretty much. 'The Federation is a band of godless heathens and
       heretics that must be eradicated for the preservation of the
       universe and to appease the almighty, so as to avoid a hellish
       apocalypse.'”
       “Fabulous, I can't wait.” Kira said sarcasticly. “Psycho nut
       jobs with inflated egos and a sense of self worth mix in
       extremest religious views and a charismatic personality and we
       got ourselves a terrorist group” Kira sighed. “When do they
       expect us by?” Kira asked.
       “They expect us by midday tomorrow. He wants to make sure you
       are there for Midday Sermon. Oh, yeah, and he delivers three
       sermons a day, once before breakfast, one during lunch, and
       another after dinner..Oh, and he's a bit of a chauvinist towards
       women, so you might want to find some more conservative clothes,
       or he's likely to 'put you in your place' which, from what I've
       seen, involves whips, clubs, or fists.”
       “Fantastic we have our selves an old school male chauvinistic
       pig” Kira sighed, “You might as well come back to the hotel and
       meet the rest of the team.” Kira said pushing away from the
       pole, “they will need to hear all this.”
       “Okay.” Tom said.
       Kira walked towards the exit, they walked in silence to the
       hotel about a mile away. Kira took out her key when they arrived
       and swiped it for entrance. “It's me” she called.
       Jenna walked out with a towel around herself she had obviously
       just gotten out of a shower. “Gemini did you find the...” She
       stopped when she caught site of Tom. “Oh Hello, I'm Helena, you
       must be our contact” Jenna smiled.
       “It's alright Jenna hes an undercover operative, Tom meet Lt.
       Jenna Kilmore my son Josephs girl friend” Kira said the last bit
       with a mild hint of disgust. “Where's Jon?”
       “He went out to some Chinese place down the road to get food he
       should be back soon, nice to meet you Tom”
       “A pleasure, Lieutenant.” Tom said, not trying to hide his
       smile. “Nice towel.”
       Jenna looked down then back up and grinned “Really you think so,
       you should see whats underneath it.” Jenna turned and walked
       back into the bathroom.
       “Jenna!” Kira called after her a little pissed.
       “Oh don't get your tail in a bunch Kira I was just kidding”
       Jenna called back.
       Tom smiled. “You have a boyfriend? That's....He's a lucky man.”
       Tom felt alittle let down, he had just gotten out of a
       relationship recently.
       Jeanna walked back out in yoga pants and a black low cut tank
       top that showed off a lot of clevage.. “I'm the lucky one” Jenna
       said, “Joseph is a good kid, besides I break Marines” she
       winked.
       “Jenna!” Kira said again.
       “Oh god Kira knock it off, I'm not offering.” Jenna growled
       “Besides Marine boy over there wouldn't be able to handle me,
       Joseph has a hard time with little OLD me” she grinned.
       “I'm sure you're underestimating  me, Lieutenant. The last
       person who did that ended up with their head on a stake.” Tom
       said, smiling.
       “O0o baby 0o0 baby stakes turn me on” Jenna laughed.
       “Oh god I am so not listening to this! Really Tom, talking about
       stakes to a vampire!” Kira rolled her eyes.
       “Aww he didn't know, besides its not like stakes really do
       anything to us other then piss us off I should know about 456
       years ago someone tried to stake me. Damn Buffy Bitch”
       “I serve with a Vampire, actually.” Tom said. “She told me about
       the stake thing being a myth..”He paused for a moment...”456
       years ago? Been around the block a time or two, Lieutenant?”
       “745 blocks to be precise” Jenna smiled, “I'm one of the oldest
       living vampires only two older then me that I can think of. Your
       vampire co worker what's her name?”
       “Major General Isabelle Hale,Commanding Officer of the 2nd
       Marine Division, and I presume the acting Corps commander
       currently...745...and you don't look a day past 20. I was
       worried you weren't old enough for me to buy you a drink.”
       “I get that a lot, Old Izzy huh? I know her still feeding off of
       Animals is she?” Jenna asked. “You know you remind me of someone
       hard to place though.. hmm” Jenna racked her brain.
       “I've seen her go after a dog or two, but that's it...In 745
       years, you've met a lot of people...could be pure coincidence.”
       Tom said.
       Jenna thought about it some before answering, “Your codename..
       Ah ha! Your related to old Stonewall Jackson aren't you?”
       “Yes. He's my great great grandfather's great great
       grandfather's grandfather or some such, he's about 14 or 15
       generations back in the family line.”
       “Yeah umm.. sorry about his death, I think I was indirectly
       responsible for that, he was the tastiest thing I had smelled in
       a long time and when I tried to kill him well, they started
       firing at me and he got caught in the cross fire.”
       Tom shrugged. “Nothing much to do about it now, I never met the
       man. You did, however, have a hell of an impact on history. Had
       he not died at Chancellorsville, it's a decent bet that the
       Confederate States might have won the war.”
       “Yeah well I'm glad they lost” Jenna smiled. “I've had a few
       impacts on history a few of my kind have.” Jenna shrugged.
       “Anyway I think I hear Jon. He should have food.” Jenna hurried
       for the door and opened it before Jon could.
       “Hey Jon meet Tom, our contact” Jenna said as he stepped in and
       she closed the door.
       Tom offered his hand. “A pleasure Jon.” Tom said.
       “Commodore Frost is my new XO on the Veroto” Kira said speaking
       up she had remained quiet while Jenna and Tom had spoke.
       Tom introduced himself further, “Brigade Colonel Thomas
       Westover. Until recently, Commanding Officer, 1st Marine
       Division.” Tom looked at Kira, wondering what the precise status
       of his brevit rank of Brigadier General was at the moment.
       “You don't want to know Tom” was all Kira said, she had half the
       mind to tell him to shove his brevit up his ass.
       “Understood.” Tom said.
       Jonathan came back, arms laden with a couple of parcels of
       chinese food, when he walked in to the room to a greeting from
       the contact. He nodded to him and spoke "A pleasure Colonel. I
       would shake your hand but... " He shrugged "Arms are kind of
       full." He grinned slightly and stepped to the table setting
       everything down then turning finally shaking the man's hand. He
       then spoke "So what's the sitrep?"
       “The Disciples of Achkbarri are expecting us by midday tomorrow.
       They are impressed with what they believe you three have done,
       and want to add you three to their 'Ranks of the Willing'.
       They've already accepted me, since they know I'm on the run from
       the Federation. As far as they know, your 'attack' provided me
       with a means to escape from the Marines and join their forces.
       While we're inside the compound, follow me. Ladies, don't speak
       unless spoken to by the men, and dress conservatively. These
       people are religious zealots, and seem to think that women who
       speak their minds and dress provocatively insult their 'God'.”
       Tom said. “I told Kira this, but there are three sermons every
       day: Before breakfast, during lunch, and after dinner. For
       newcomers there is a ceremony that takes place during lunch: You
       will be blessed for your willingness to join the cause, and must
       pledge your acceptance of their God, as well as announcing that
       you believe  Kernada, their leader, is the messenger of God, and
       that he himself is also divine.”
       Jenna growled, “Really, so what I just have to sit there and
       look pretty? Great fucking 1600's all over again”
       Jonathan perked a brow as he listened to the details. Once he
       had heard everything including Jenna's protest, Jonathan sighed
       and shook his head. He had been leaning against the table he had
       set the food on and pushed off of it stepping forward a bit.
       Finally he spoke after thinking for a moment "And here I thought
       this was going to be easy..." He smirked slightly then shook his
       head "So. That being said. How long until we may be fully
       trusted by this group? Also what have they got going on
       currently that we should know about?"
       Tom smiled at Jenna, “Aww now that shouldn't be too hard for
       you.” He said with a wink.“To earn their trust, you have to make
       an offering to their god. A blood offering, which means a
       terrorist attack in their name. The Leatherneck bombing put you
       on their radar...They will want you to carry out another under
       their banner. I had to go along on one, an attack on a civilian
       colony. My two colleagues were unfortunate enough to have
       “martyred” themselves, and Starfleet Intelligence was able to
       make things happen without the loss of real civilian life. If
       they have anything working now, they haven't told me. Right now,
       I'm just a soldier and a recruiter in 'God's Army.”
       “Hard? It's damn near impossible to shut that girl up” Kira
       laughed then looked over at Jon, “Wish they would have warned us
       about all this” Kira sighed. “Guess that means you'll be leading
       the mission now Jon.”
       Jonathan sighed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. More
       and more this mission was getting more squirelly. He shook his
       head and looked at Tom and spoke "Why were we not notified of
       this before the mission was planned? Didn't SI have any
       information on this group?" He growled slightly and looked at
       Kira then turned back to Tom "Also what if this... Messenger of
       God..." He practically spit those three words out "Tries to lay
       his hands on Kira or Jenna. Am I allowed to defend them or do I
       just let it happen?"
       “Well, Starfleet Intelligence really didn't have a lot to go on
       until about three weeks ago. What little they could gather was
       mostly hearsay. I've been the only operative to get inside in
       over a year. It's been to my advantage that there is a
       Quadrant-wide warrant for my arrest. If he decides to beat them,
       we'd be bound not to intervene, or risk blowing everyone's
       cover. Now, if he decides to take it farther...”
       “If he decides to take it further you are not to interfere this
       is to important to the federation Jenna and I can handle
       ourselves. That is a direct order” Kira said.
       “Kira's right Jon, there has been to much death at these
       assholes hands” Jenna nodded.
       Jonathan growled lightly at the aspect of standing idly by. He
       voiced the opinion as well "I don't like the idea of having to
       stand by while this guy tries something with my companions
       here... But I will follow orders on this one.." He looked to Tom
       and spoke "Alright. Lets eat then I suppose. Sounds like we
       might need it. Should probably replicate some new clothing as
       well. Just to be on the safe side."
       “Agreed” Kira sighed.
       “You racking out here Tom there is a nice piece of floor over
       there some where” Jenna waved as she dug in to the food.
       Tom considered it for a moment. “I can't, actually. I've
       arranged a meeting with my handler in about 2 hours. I'll be
       back around 0530.”
       Jonathan nodded to Tom and looked at the food some. He then
       spoke "If you have some time there is some extra food here. Help
       your self. Got some Kung Pao chicken, Wonton soup, Fried rice
       with sesame chicken and egg rolls." He sat down at the table
       grabbing what he wanted and a pair of chop sticks, about to dig
       in himself, following Jenna's footsteps.
       “I'm alright, thank you, though. I think I'll just get myself
       some coffee.” Tom said, walking over to the replicator and
       ordering straight black coffee.
       “Well if you all don't mind I am actually going to hit a shower
       replicate some cloths and go to bed” Kira said not really at
       that hungry. “and Tom if you wake me up at 0530 I might have to
       hurt you make it 0700 and we can leave from there.”
       “Understood, Admiral.” Tom said. Tom grabbed a piece of paper
       and wrote down a communicator ID number and gave it to Jenna,
       with the words “Call me” and “2330, Happy Orca” written on it.
       With that, Tom turned and left. The meet was across town, and
       Tom didn't trust the local public transit system.
       Jonathan eyed the piece of paper watching Tom leave. He narrowed
       his eyes then turned to Jenna perking a brow somewhat. He played
       with his sesame chicken some and continued to watch her finally
       speaking "I see our friend has taken a liking to you.." His eyes
       still narrowed some as he sat there.
       “Oh not you too” Jenna sighed, “I am dating your son, I am not
       going to cheat on him” Jenna got up suddenly having lost
       interest in her food. “I'm going to bed.”
       JOINT POST
       Fleet Admiral Kira Phaserman
       Commanding Officer
       USS Veroto-A
       Lt. Jenna Kilmore
       Chief Intelligence Officer
       USS Veroto-A
       Vice Admiral Jonathan Frost
       Executive Officer
       USS Veroto-A
       Chief of Staff
       Lima Fleet
       Stone Wall
       Undercover contact
       AND
       #Post#: 414--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Lela Phaserman Date: January 17, 2012, 3:03 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Danny and Lela's personel quarters l USS Veroto-A
       Lela stumbled into her and Danny's quarters. She knew she had,
       had to much but she didn't care it didn't hurt anymore. She
       tried to make it for the bedroom but tripped falling flat on her
       face. “uhh” she groaned her nose hurting a little.
       Danny hovered around the corner out of the bedroom and saw her
       on the floor. "Well, looks like the next generation of Marines
       is keeping the age old traditions alive and well."
       Lela lifted her head a little, “Danny?” she said slurring his
       name a little. She tried to push her self off the deck grabbing
       on to the chair next to her for support her hand slipped and she
       fell back onto her ass.
       Danny leaned over and pulled her up, and onto the chair, glad he
       had been working his upper body strength in rehab. "Lieutenant
       Lela Phaserman, you are drunk as a skunk."
       “I did...I didn't know skunks got drunk” she said again slurring
       her speech until what she said was almost unrecognizable as
       words. She leaned into Danny, he smelled so good and it excited
       her. She kissed at his neck a little.
       "oooh no little lady." Danny said, "I think I am gonna set you
       down, get you a nice big tall glass of water and a pot of
       coffee, and we are gonna sober you up before we lay you down for
       bed."
       “I don wanna sober up!” she said pushing away from him she
       struggled to get off of his lap.
       "I don't care, Lela." Danny said. "It's either you sober up now
       or you're going to be unfit for duty in the morning. And being
       unfit for duty due to hangovers is an automatic letter of
       reprimand."
       “Wouldn't be the first hang over...” she said quietly finally
       getting off his lap she stumbled over to the couch and laid
       down.
       "Really now, Lela?" Danny said. "I'd expect to hear that from
       Gunny Kurly or even Lt. Reynolds...but you?"
       “I'm an adult, I can make my own choices” she said her voice
       muffled by the couch. The room was starting to spin so she
       closed her eyes. She felt numb, it was relief.
       Danny hovered over and started the coffee brewing and ordered a
       large glass of cold water from the replicator, and brought it to
       Lela. "Drink this."
       “no” she said not moving. She didn't want the numbing effects of
       the whiskey to go away. She didn't want to feel again. She
       wanted to forget, to not think about it.
       Danny moved the hover chair next to the couch. "Look, Lela, I
       don't know what that **** did to you, but you've been through
       much more than anyone your age ever should have had to go
       through. That's rough, I know. But there are two ways to handle
       this: You can crawl into a bottle and end up a miserable,
       useless drunk like my uncle Pete, OR you can take charge.
       These....experiences, traumas, whatever, will always be a part
       of you, but it's up to you: Either let them run your life and be
       a drunk, or use them to make you a stronger, better person."
       “I..I am not letting it run my life damnit, I am in pain Danny,
       I don't want to be in pain anymore” she said lifting her head.
       “You don't know what its like, you can say that in your superior
       holier then tho attitude but you just don't know!” she snapped.
       “Here Danny” she let her mental shields fall down pushing her
       pain towards him everything she had been trying to repress
       emotionally she threw at him.
       Danny felt it hit him. He wasn't telepathic, but her mental
       force made him feel it. Danny had always had a way of
       compartmentalizing, it was how he survived so many years of
       being in combat, of seeing so many friends die, even being
       grievously wounded a few times himself...but this was a new
       level even for him. He was at a loss for words.
       Lela slammed her mind shut again her mind a little clearer she
       got up still stumbling but a little steadier on her feet and
       walked over to the coffee pot. “You want me to feel pain Danny
       then fine we will do it your way.” she grabbed a cup of coffee
       and sipped it.
       "I don't want you to feel pain, Lela." Danny said. "Hell, if I
       thought my meds would help I'd give you some. But I want you to
       handle it in a productive, not self-destructive way.
       Lela shook her head, “I am not being self-destructive,
       self-medicating maybe its the only thing that helps and I don't
       plan on stopping. I have not once come to work drunk. Hung over
       sure but never drunk and I have never not been able to do my job
       and its been weeks since I started drinking..”
       Danny shook his head. "It is self-destructive, Lela. Do you have
       any idea what that stuff does to your body? Even a half-vampire
       like you can be seriously harmed by this stuff."
       Lela looked over at him, “Right I've been drinking for a few
       weeks, how long you been drinking Danny? Or mom? I know she
       doesn't drink often but from what I have been told she spent 20
       years of her life in a bottle not for pain but binging.. What
       about uncle Jon or Joe all been drinking longer then me..” she
       glared at him.. “I am fine Danny” she sipped the coffee her mind
       going to the whiskey she had hidden in their quarters. “I know
       what I am doing.”
       "Really? Did you know your mom went from being a Commander to a
       Lieutenant for her drinking? And Jon, Joe, and Me all drink in
       moderation. We drink socially, not 'medically' as you seem to
       put it. Drinking has serious consequences, young lady."
       Lela was done with this conversation she set her coffee down and
       walked into the bedroom.
       Danny followed her in. "Lela." He said. It wasn't the kind,
       gentle voice she was used to. It was the tone that made the
       battle hardened NCO's on the Veroto jump.
       “What!” she snapped turning her yellow eyes flashing in her
       anger. “What do you want from me Danny? Everyone says to deal
       with this to talk about it! I don't ****ing want to talk I want
       to forget!” she growled.
       "Forgetting won't help. I tried a few times.” Danny understood
       her anger, but now he was getting mad.  "You want to forget?
       Talk to a Vulcan. Ask them to mind meld with you. They can help.
       But drinking won't help. If it did, I would know."
       “Maybe it didn't help you but it does me!” she snarled, “I am
       not going to stop drinking Danny, try living with all those
       feelings every single second of ever single day Danny. I can't
       do it. I'm not as strong as you are...”
       "Yes you are." He said. "Actually, you're stronger than me. You
       want proof? You want proof that you're stronger than me, Lela?
       You've been through all of this and you're still standing. And
       look at me! I can't even got off my own ass!"
       “But you'll get your strength back, the use of your legs.. I
       wont ever get what I had back, its gone. That care free child
       that happy girl.. She's dead Danny, I am just a shell of her.”
       She leaned back against the bulk head.
       "The little girl that used to chase me through the jeffries
       tubes? She's not dead. She just grew up. Along the way she ran
       into a rather tough realization that the real world sucks. But
       no she's not dead.”
       Tears streamed down her face as she sank to the floor, “I don't
       want to hurt Danny, oh god I can't take it anymore!” she let out
       a mournful scream of agony everything she had been keeping
       bottled up pouring to the surface as the effects of the whiskey
       subsided. She had been doing a lot of crying lately.
       Danny hovered over and pulled her up. "Look, a month ago you
       were a 12 year old child chasing me around this ship. You'd had
       a few rough patches, but got through them. Now, you're a grown
       woman, a MARINE, who just endured one of the worst things
       Marines can go through...Lela, you will get through this. You
       are strong. You are brave, you are tough. You are a Marine, and
       Marines don't give up. Marines don't run from their problems.
       Marines don't hide from them."
       “I am not just a marine Danny, I am a woman who was just
       violated by her own grandfather... who lost a baby...” she
       sobbed. “I want curl up and die Danny!”
       Danny grabbed her and held her tight, not letting go. He didn't
       know what to say to her, but just wanted to be there for her.
       Lela sobbed into his chest after a few minutes she pushed away
       from him. “I need to use the bathroom..” she moved from his lap
       and walked into the bathroom sealing the door she pulled the
       hidden bottle of whiskey from the wall panel and sat down on the
       floor opening the bottle she took a large pull what Danny said
       had shook her but at this moment she didn't care she didn't want
       to feel.
       JP
       Brig. General Daniel Hardfighter
       Acting Executive Officer
       USS Veroto-A
       AND
       #Post#: 416--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Stonewall Date: January 17, 2012, 8:17 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       PACIFICA | CITY CENTER
       The man known as Stonewall waited alone. The quay along the
       water was dark, noisy and cold. On his way to the meet, he
       stopped by a safehouse where he traded his Federation gear for
       his "terrorist" supplies. His handler, with Starfleet
       Intelligence, was also under cover as an arms trader, and it
       wouldn't do for Stonewall to be caught with an arms dealer while
       carrying federation equipment. Instead he carried a Klingon
       disruptor pistol, normally holstered under his jacket, now held
       in his right hand along his thigh.
       The Intelligence agent approached. "Is that you, Stonewall?"
       "Yeah, it's me..."
       "Did you make contact?"
       "Yes. I'm taking them to meet the cell tomorrow morning."
       "Good." The man approached. "I appreciate you taking on this
       assignment, Tom."
       Tom spun around and grabbed the man by the throat and placed the
       disruptor at his temple. "I bet you do, Jimmy. But here's the
       problem I'm having right now...see, I'm doing this for you to
       clear my name. Yes, I committed some crimes, but in the grand
       scheme of things, they are minor. But, since I'm technically
       dead, they are holding my friend and commander to account. You
       really wanna show some appreciation? Make sure the charges
       against him go away."
       "I Can't promise that." The man said cooly.
       "Make it happen, Jimmy. Or I might just put you out of
       business..." Tom was referring not only to the disruptor in his
       hand, but also the fact that he knew the Intelligence operative
       was pocketting some of the funds from the phoney weapons deals.
       "Okay...Okay..."
       #Post#: 417--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Joseph Frost Date: January 17, 2012, 8:31 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ON:
       [font=times new roman]Mara's Tavern | U.S.S. Veroto-A[/font]
       Joseph watched as his sister left after he gave her a little
       speech. He shook his head and sighed, tossing the blood pack
       aside and sipping his whiskey. He was pissed off at the moment.
       He wanted nothing more than to just help her but she wouldn't
       accept it. Too damned stubborn like their mother.
       Leaning back some he unzipped his uniform front, stretching a
       bit, wishing that Jenna was there so he could have some one to
       talk to.
       OFF:
       TAG: Anyone.
       #Post#: 418--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Baj Tellok Date: January 17, 2012, 10:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Baj sat at his desk in his and Mara's quarters, looking over
       repair reports from the Starbase. He hadn't had as much time as
       he should have, what with the honeymoon and being married and
       everything. He frowned as he looked at the list of reports he
       still needed to read.
       Mara walked in after her shift at her bar, Baj was sitting at
       his desk when she walked in he looked unhappy. "Hey honey, you
       look like you could use a break" she said walking over and
       running her hands over his shoulders kneading his tense mucsles.
       "What do you say we head down to the city outside of the base?"
       she asked
       "I don't know.." Baj smiled and leaned back, looking up to see
       her behind him, "I have a lot of work to do." He motioned to the
       console and the reports waiting for him to read.
       "Reports can wait" she leaned down kissing his neck. "We are
       newlyweds, we should be spending as much time together as
       possible, especially since when Kira gets back we will be adding
       a baby to our family" she said softly.
       Baj froze in his seat as Mara kissed his neck before turning and
       looking at her, "What?" He glanced down at Mara's stomach, "But
       I thought... And why when Kira gets back?" This was news to him.
       He was excited that he would be having another child, but
       confused by Mara's choice of words.
       Mara stood up straight, "No Baj, I'm not pregnant, I can't get
       pregnant... I asked Kira to be a surrogate mother, and she said
       yes." Mara looked at him hoping he wasn't mad at her for not
       telling him.
       Baj blinked and looked up at her, "Why would you ask Kira? I
       mean... there's Lela, and the whole... thing.." He waved his
       arms a little bit, trying to explain, then gave up and tried
       again, "You didn't tell me you wanted a baby..."
       Mara looked down a little ashamed "I asked her because, she has
       already given you the gift of a child once. I cannot give you
       that gift alone. I know you love Kira and that she loves you and
       would do anything for you..." Mara paused and looked him in the
       eyes. "I never wanted a child until that option was stipped away
       from me. I want a baby Baj, I want us to be a family."
       Baj looked back into her eyes for a moment before nodding,
       standing up, and wrapping his arms around his wife, holding her,
       "Then we are going to have a baby." He smiled as he said it.
       Mara wrapped her arms around him and smiled, "So that means
       you'll take me shopping right we need to get things for the
       baby" Mara looked up at him with a wicked smile.
       Baj laughed and groaned, shaking his head, "Alright, we can go
       shopping." He kissed her and shut off his console.
       Mara took his hand and pulled him towards the door leading the
       way to the transporter room, "We should get dinner while we are
       down there too" she said holding his hand as they walked. They
       beamed down to the city and Mara looked around, "This place is
       beautiful"
       Mara started down the street with Baj in tow, her bar was doing
       well for its self so she had credits to spare. "Here we go" Mara
       pulled him inside a show that had furniture on display. "Aww
       look at the little crib Baj, it says its hand crafted." she
       moved from one to the next. "Do you see one you like?" she asked
       looking over at him
       Baj was lost. This was new to him, so he fell back on what was
       familiar. He was looking at the decriptions of the cribs, not
       the cribs themselves. He looked up from one of them at Mara's
       question, "Well, this one seems to be made of the most sturdy
       material so far..." He let his words drift off as he looked at
       his wife.
       Mara smiled and walked over looking it over, "I like it, lets
       see what else they have, fine the sturdiest stuff for our little
       bundle to be safe" she led the way through the store finding a
       changing table, rocker, and other various baby things. Before
       going to the shop owner and paying. Mara walked back over to
       Baj. "Everything is being sent back to the ship, the shop owner
       tells me there is a store you might like would you like to go
       check it out?" she asked.
       Baj smiled and put an arm around Mara as they walked out of the
       store, "Sure, what type of store?" He looked around, as they
       stepped outside, "And umm, where is it?"
       Mara leaned into Baj, "This way should be just up ahead,
       something about new tools.. apparently the store is an engieers
       wet dream" she laughed as they approched the store.
       Baj's smile turned into an excited grin as he heard where they
       were going. His eyes went wide as they entered, but he managed
       to wait for Mara to nod before moving forward to look at
       everything.
       Mara watched him marvel over everything smiling to herself, glad
       that he was hers, "If you see anything you like just let me
       know" she called.
       Baj was roaming from one area of the shop to another at
       seemingly random, muttering to himself. He was trying to think
       of what he would need and what he could build himself for a
       project. He picked up an Electromagnetic Focus Node, a Forward
       Quantum Replication Cell, and a Particle Dissipation Regulator,
       the shook his head and put the Cell down, before returned to
       Mara. A sly grin on his face.
       Mara had watched him walking around, "Well?" she asked. "You can
       have what ever you want baby" she moved closer to him and kissed
       him.
       "Thank you" he kissed her back, his arms taken up by the two
       parts he had, "These are it, I think." He knew exactly how he
       was going to use them, "Was there anywhere else you wanted to go
       before finding some dinner?"
       "There is one other place but I think it should be after dinner"
       she winked at him. She paid the ship owner and had everything
       sent back to the ship. She spoke with the store owner for a
       moment before turning to Baj. "She says there is a nice romantic
       resturant a block down with local food does that sound good?"
       One of Baj's eyebrows rose as Mara winked at him and he smiled.
       "I am willing to give the local cuisine a try," he said as he
       held her hand and walked back onto the street.
       Mara led the way down the street following the store owners
       instructions, "I was thinking I might open up another bar, find
       someone else to run it of course but, the bar on the veroto is
       going so well, I make a lot there... What do you think?" she
       asked as they were led to their table.
       Baj nodded, "Its a good idea as long as you have the start up
       money for it." He thought for a moment as they were seated, "And
       it might a little difficult to manage a business from the
       ship..." He was thinking about all the covert ops missions they
       got.
       Mara nodded, they had never really talked about how much her bar
       brought in.. "I have pleanty for the start up cost money isn't
       an issue Baj... but I agree it would be hard to run a business
       from the ship." she sighed. Mara ordered something from the
       menu. "Well we will be adding a baby soon so I guess I will keep
       pleanty busy with that. Have you spoken with Lela lately?" Mara
       asked she was getting concerned by how much she had seen Lela
       drinking.
       "You may as well try it, as long as you get someone good to
       manage the new bar, it could work." Baj shook his head, "No, I
       haven't talked to her. Not since her commission and the wedding.
       Its been kind of busy with all the repairs when I'm not spending
       time with you." He tilted his head, "Why do you ask?"
       "I am worried about her, shes been at the bar everynight from
       what my staff tells me shes been drinking a lot got in a fight
       with joe this evening and left really drunk" Mara said as their
       drinks were brought to them, Mara sipped her wine.
       Baj frowned, "That is not good." He stared at his drink before
       talking, "I really should have a talk with her... about
       everything." He shook his head.
       "I tried to get her to talk to me she got mad and walked away.
       It's not good she needs to talk to someone, shes on a bad path
       right now Baj. I was thinking we should talk to Joe, gary, and
       danny see what we can do to help her."
       Baj nodded, "Maybe if we all talk to her she will listen..." He
       looked at Mara thoughtfully when their food arrived, "I just
       don't know what to say."
       "It's time to show her some tough love Baj, she needs you to be
       strong for her right now since she can't be." Mara took a bite
       of the food.
       Baj nodded and started in on his food. With it halfway to his
       mouth he paused and looked up at Mara, "You will help me,
       right?"
       Mara nodded, "It's in the job title of wife" she took another
       bite of food, "How is being in the big seat going?"
       Baj smiled, relieved, and answered, "I actually haven't had the
       chance to even sit in the big chair yet." He chuckled, "Mostly
       reading reports so far."
       "That sounds....fun" Mara smiled, "Well we should be getting
       underway soon right?" She pushed her food around her plate.
       "Yeah, within the next day or two. Repairs are almost complete."
       He pushed his plate away, finished, "If you want to start up
       another bar, we should probably get started on it soon then."
       "Yeah" Mara paid and left a tip as they walked out side Mara
       looked over at Baj, "There is a store I heard about here" she
       led him around a cornor and pointed it out. "Kira told me it was
       here, a play time store" she pointed and winked.
       Baj's face split into a sly grin at that, "Play time you say?"
       He put an arm around Mara's waist, "What are we waiting for?" He
       gave her a quick kiss.
       Mara kissed him back and led him to the shop. "Anything you want
       dear" she winked.
       JOINT POST
       Mara Tellok
       and
       Baj Tellok
       #Post#: 419--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Mara Tellok Date: January 17, 2012, 11:52 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Mara wipped the bar down with a cloth then turned to put clean
       empty glasses away when she spotted Praxis and Gary at the end
       of the bar she walked over with a refils of their drinks. “Hey
       Gary, and you must be Praxis heres another round on the house.”
       she said setting their drinks down. “How are you gentlemen
       tonight?” she asked.
       Gary looked at Praxis, "I can't speak for the General here, but
       I'm alright."
       Praxis smiled. "Kind of enjoying my time off, but all things
       considered, I'd rather be with my Marines. Not used to wearing
       civilian clothes all the time."
       Mara nodded, “Understandable, Hey Gary there is something you
       should know, I think Lela has a drinking problem, I already
       spoke with Baj about it but I thought you should know.”
       "A drinking problem?" Gary said. "I know she's had a few...but I
       didn't know she's been developing a problem."
       Mara nodded, “I think she needs help shes been in here every
       night drinking, she got in a fight with Joseph earlier and left
       drunk as all hell. I am worried about her.”
       Praxis looked at Mara. "It's not unknown in the Corps for new
       Marines to have...trouble...adjusting after their first real
       combat. Alcoholism is a real problem among Junior Marines”
       Joseph walked up to the bar dropping his glass off. Still a
       little pissed off. He ordered a root beer and moved down the bar
       after hearing his name mentioned. He stands off to the side
       listening to them speak for a moment.
       Gary looked to Praxis. "This really isn't her first combat,
       though. She's been through so much before...being captured by
       the Banor, the Yazmyn thing...All that builds up if she doesn't
       have a release."
       Mara frowned, “That may be General but Lela... the loss of a
       baby what her grandfather did to her.. this isn't the way to
       handle it she needs to talk. I have been trying but she clams
       up. I heard her and Joseph yelling she is in a lot of pain.”
       Gary turned to Joe. "lela got into it with you? How drunk was
       she?"
       Joseph looked at Mara and nodded "She started to talk about it
       but immediately shut up and ordered another drink then jumped
       down my throat about our mother." takes his root beer and sips
       it some as he turns to Gary "she got pretty soused while we were
       here... four whiskeys and a jello shot.. Started yelling at me
       about mom before I accidently snapped on her..."
       Mara turned and sent a message to Baj to come to the bar asap.
       Gary and Praxis looked at each other, the sound of Praxis' rings
       knocking on the table filling the silence. =/\=Praxis to Danny,
       can you come to Mara's please?=/\=
       Gary leaned back against his seat. "We have to put a stop to
       this. She's grown up, yes, but she's still too young to be going
       through this alone, and definately too young to know the risks
       of alcohol addiction."
       Baj received Mara's message and shut off his console, making his
       way to the Tavern. When he walked in, he noticed the group and
       joined them.
       He turned to Gary and spoke "Why didn't any one tell me about
       her being captured by Banor?"
       Mara nodded and looked up to see Baj walk in, “Hey Hon we are
       talking about Lela” she told him “everyone is concerned for
       her.”
       "It's in the ship's records, a few years ago she was captured
       and held prisoner by the Banor. Danny and the Marines pulled her
       out, but it cost the lives of two of Danny's men. I don't know
       if she ever forgave herself for that either." Gary explained.
       Joseph watched as Baj walked in and nodded to him some. He
       listened to his step father speak and sighed slightly shaking
       his head. He then spoke "I didn't know it was in the records...
       Mom didn't even tell me to look it up."
       Danny rolled in just in time to hear that. "Yeah. That was a
       nasty bit of business. Lt. DiNardo and Sergeant Vasquez were
       good men. We all went to earth for their funerals."
       "Danny," Praxis said, "Lela's been drinking...."
       Mara looked at Danny and poured him his usual before handing it
       to him, “What happened when Lela left here did she come home?”
       she asked Danny.
       Baj listened in to conversation so far, trying to get a feel on
       what was going on. He hadn't been around Lela much at all
       lately...
       "Yeah." Danny said. "She was drunk off her ass. I tried to sober
       her up. She's using the alcohol to try and...drown out....the
       pain."
       Joseph grabbed a passing bartender and ordered some coffee to
       help sober up. He turned to the others and nodded "she all but
       said the same thing to me”
       “That is what I was afried of we need to put a stop to this.”
       Mara looked at Baj.
       "So, where do we do this?" Praxis asked. "The bar is not the
       best place”
       Baj nodded, "We need to all talk to her. What about her
       quarters?" He looked at Danny questioningly.
       Looks up "Her quarters. At least give her some decency.."
       "Our quarters would be good." Danny said, then looked to his
       brother. "You, should go change. Your old football jersey is
       pimp and all, but I think a uniform would have a better impact."
       Mara sighed, “You really think this is best to do right now
       while she is drunk? I have a suggestion, tomorrow night when she
       comes to the bar, I will deny her access she probably has a
       stash in her quarters so she will go there to drink I will
       contact all of you when she leaves. Someone can track her
       movements until shes back”
       "That works." Gary said.
       Danny and Praxis nodded in agreement. "When she's out, I'll have
       to search our quarters...."
       Joseph nodded some and turned, particularly looking at Baj "If
       she gets combative you and I need to be there uncle Baj..."
       "Yeah, I hope it doesn't come to that though..." Baj said,
       looking at Joseph.
       “Leave that to me Danny, I once was in her place I know all the
       hiding spots.. while shes on duty I will search” Mara said
       looking over at Baj, “Keep her busy tomorrow don't let her come
       back to her quarters.”
       Nods some to Baj in agreement. He looked up and spoke "I can
       track her comm badge movements and notify any one if she gets
       close."
       "I'll keep her busy tomorrow, Mara." Danny said. "I'll make sure
       her and Col. Starkos are doing something all day."
       “She will need to detox, with her body chemistry the only way to
       do it is cold turkey” Mara frowned, “That wont be pleasant.”
       "I'll stay with her," Gary said. "I've been through this
       before."
       Joseph looked at his step father and spoke "You can't be with
       her all the time Gary... I'll help in any way possible."
       "Okay. Praxis, you'll have to be the third, I think."
       "I think we will all need to be there for her." Baj said,
       considering
       “We will all need to be there to show her support” Mara said,
       “She will need someone to make her go through counseling even if
       she doesn't talk at first she needs to be brought kicking and
       screaming if she has to be” Mara said thinking this through
       Baj looked to Mara, "I will take care of that."
       "I will help you hon" Mara nodded
       Praxis looked at the group. "I guess I'm here just for rank and
       muscle?"
       “And because you are family Praxis, Lela looks up to you, shes
       said so before.” Mara smiled
       "True." Praxis said looking down at his drink for a moment.
       "Tom would be disappointed. Him and Isabelle approved her
       commission...I imagine he'd be quite upset." He said.
       Joseph stood up some and set his glass down. He looked over at
       Praxis and spoke "perhaps we should try to keep them from
       learning of it?"
       "Tom died several weeks ago." Danny said. "The explosion on
       Leatherneck."
       Joseph cursed slightly. He shook his head and spoke "My
       apologies. I didn't know."
       “She is still a good girl and will be better she just needs a
       little help shes going through a lot and feels alone” Mara said
       frowning
       Gary nodded. "What she's going through would be hard for any of
       us, with years of experience and training....for someone so
       young, she needs us."
       “Then its agreed tomorrow night.. Lela gets the help she needs”
       Mara nodded.
       Joseph nodded some and spoke "You can count me in for the long
       run on this."
       "We're in." Praxis and Danny said at the same time.
       "Okay." Gary said, looking at Baj. "So, are we going to play
       good dad, bad dad?"
       Baj looked back at Gary, "Since I will be dragging her to
       counseling, maybe you should play good dad."
       "Probably." Gary said. "Oddly enough, my other daughter might
       laugh at the suggestion...."
       Joseph watched the interchange between Gary and Baj shaking his
       head a bit with a grin. He then spoke up "Uncle Baj... If you
       need any help getting her to the counseling you let me know
       alright?"
       "You never know until you try.." Baj answered Gary. He nodded to
       Joseph, "And I will, thank you."
       JOINT POST
       Joseph Frost
       Gary Phaserman
       Praxis Hardfighter
       Daniel Hardfighter
       Baj Tellok
       AND
       #Post#: 421--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Joseph Frost Date: January 18, 2012, 4:04 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ON:
       [font=times new roman]Thylessia | Planet Surface[/font]
       Having sobered up after the discussion with the others about
       his sister, Joseph decided to head down to the planets surface
       to do some shopping. He wanted to have a few gifts ready for
       when Jenna came back. They would still have plenty of time to
       get baby clothing as well as a crib so he decided to put it off
       until she was back. Instead this trip was about buying a few
       gifts for her.
       Stopping by the jewelery shop he browsed their selection for
       several moments. Finally deciding upon a gold necklace with a
       small pendant, the outside had a jewel the color of her eyes.
       The pendant also opened, allowing space for a couple of small
       holostills. He smiled and took the bag from the attendant,
       paying the man and thanking him.
       Walking down the packed streets, keeping the bag close to him,
       he nodded to several of the locals. Stopping by another store he
       knew she had a fascination with bladed weaponry, he decided to
       buy her a new knife as well, this one having his name laser
       engraved on one side and her name on the other, along with the
       date they met on the handle. The sheathe he had a small metal
       plate attached to, left blank so they could add their child's
       name to it. Once everything was done he paid the vendor, swiping
       his credit chit through the scanner. Finally leaving the shop he
       decided to make one more stop, this time to get some food in his
       body before his stomach killed him for not eating anything
       solid.
       A short while later, after having stopped at a local diner and
       not one of the higher classed restaurants, he headed back to his
       transport site, taking several deep breaths to get the fresh air
       in him. He glanced around and signaled to the transporter chief
       to beam him up. A few seconds later after a swirl of light,
       Joseph stepped down off the transporter pad and nodded his
       thanks to the chief, heading back to his quarters.
       OFF:
       TAG: Any
       #Post#: 422--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: TJ Hawk Date: January 18, 2012, 3:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Jason walked onto the bridge as amber looked at him. He noticed
       danny or joe hadn't arrived on the bridge yet and smiled at his
       subordinate. "Chief, how are things on long ranged sensors?"
       "Everything is surprisingly quiet. However we did discover a
       comet flying past 300,000 kliometers from the ship."
       Jason laughed "would be fun to do this instead of this dammed
       war." He said knowing her quarterly review was coming up.
       "Amber, your not kissing my ass for a promotion?" He said
       lookong at her sternly. "Because you would be wasting your
       time." He said sitting down at his console. "I'm going to
       recommend that you'll be promoted to warrant officer. You've
       done a pretty good job with your duties"
       "I don't know what to say" she sais looking shocked.
       Jason turned to her then didn't see any other ranked officer on
       the bridge but him. "Mind staying on a bit longer till frost or
       tellok show?"
       "Not a problem commander." She smiled taking her seat as Jason
       sat in the captain's chair.
       He sighed as he slowly sat down in the chair and laid back. He
       knew it had been a while since he sat in the chair ever since he
       started out on the first veroto. Even when he was in command of
       deep space twelve. He sat there reading operation reports of
       what was offline and needed to be repaired of replaced.
       #Post#: 423--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: Daniel Hardfighter Date: January 18, 2012, 11:17 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Danny menuevered the hover chair off the turbolift and onto the
       bridge, and was greeted at first with a few odd looks, then the
       realization of who it was. "General on Deck." Said the officer
       at tactical. "As you were." Danny said, feeling wierd about
       being back on the bridge as the XO, again. On the main viewer
       was a view from the dock's visual sensors, showing the ship's
       dorsal bow. Litterally hundreds of small, white objects and more
       than a dozen larger, yellow objects floated around the ship,
       especially in the areas of the Marine deck and the aft hull.
       Danny knew them to be engineers from Leatherneck working in EVA
       suits or workbees to repair the outter hull. Once that was done,
       the ship's inners could be repaired.
       Danny hovered over to the command chair, where Jason was. "I
       have the bridge, Commander." He said. As Jason vacated the
       Command Chair, Danny used his upper body strength to pull
       himself into it.
       #Post#: 424--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Mission-03-All that remains of the fallen 
       By: TJ Hawk Date: January 19, 2012, 12:56 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "welcome back sir." he said as his assistant took off in the
       turbolift. Jason took his seat at ops as he went to work
       realigning the ships deflector and navigation grid. He slowly
       hummed to himself feeling more happy than he had since he had
       first joined the Veroto crew. one of his officers brought him a
       report on the repairs of the internal sensor grid "have daniels
       and sykes check out the problem on deck 16. and see if it can't
       be reinforced by something protecting the EPS relays on that
       deck."
       "aye sir." the officer said walking away. "how the hell out of
       my own officers, i get stuck with more NCO's i can deal with?"
       he joked to himself
       *****************************************************
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