Predator and Prey

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan bowed his head in mutual respect, saying a simple "Thank you." Elizabeth also nodded her head in thanks. As the turbolift doors opened, Bohdan and Elizabeth followed the subadmiral, passing by the astounded Romulan. The two of them went here, there, right, then left, passing by several Romulans, who were observant of the group and saluted Trask as he passed by. They were also slightly taken aback by Bohdan's sheer size. Suddenly, the both of them found themselves on the observation deck of the vessel, populated with Romulans in political dress. Bohdan and Elizabeth observed quietly and formally as Trask approached one of them, and conversed with them. The Romulan then turned to Bohdan, who asked who the dragon was. Bohdan was more than happy to answer that question.

"I am Colonel Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki," Bohdan began with a booming voice, catching the attention of all those present in the room. "Of the Czar's Guard of the Ruthenian Imperial Army, and official envoy of His Majesty, Nikita X, Czar of All Ruthenia." Bohdan then approached the Romulan known as D'Tan. "And I would love an explanation as to why Virinat was completely obliterated by Tal Shiar troops while my team and I were in said colony." Bohdan glared at D'Tan, towering over the Romulan. "I apologize if I am being too overbearing," Bohdan said with a lowered tone, bending over to D'Tan's height. "But the Czar himself sanctioned this trade delegation to Virinat, and I need to explain why the agreement did not fall through. You understand the gravity of the situation in general?"

[Star_Dragon]

"Indeed I do, Colonel," D'Tan responded, unfazed by Bohdan's behavior. He inhaled, and then began, "Knowing the Tal Shiar, they never attack anywhere without reason, regardless of whether or not that reason is legitimate. Off-hand, I'd say... either Virinat had something they wanted - outside the usual rounding up of anyone they think will be of use and forcibly indoctrinating them into the Tal Shiar - or they believed, or were led to believe, that someone or something on Virinat was a threat to them."

"Any idea who or what that could be?" Trask asked.

D'Tan shook his head. "I only just learned of the attack on Virinat, so, regrettably, I cannot provide a clear answer on that." He returned his attention to Bohdan. "And I can tell you, in particular, that the Tal Shiar have no love for your kind, though I do not know why."

"Sir," Trask said, "Do you know if the Tal Shiar are hiring mercenaries or assassins?"

D'Tan frowned. "None that I'm aware of - the Tal Shiar don't usually hire mercenaries unless they have good reason to, and they usually have an assassin or two on hand. Why do you ask?"

"Because before the attack, we came into contact with... an unseen assailant. He attacked us and disappeared right before the attack," Trask explained.

"Unseen assailant?" D'Tan asked. "Unseen in what way?"

"I only caught a glimpse of the assassin, but Neil and Sal can explain it," Trask said, indicating Neil and Sal.

[Clearwater]

''Well, he had some sort of cloaking device or something,'' Sal tried to explain. ''I was taking a break on a tower when I heard
something come from right behind me, except there was nothing. Next thing I knew was me dodging out of the way before someone tried
to slam a sword into my gut.''

 

(I've also been having those problems where the reply thing doesn't load up and all I get is the option to attach files, but for me,
it happens a lot less times than Star apparently had.)

Edited May 28, 2015 by Clearwater

[CrypticQuery]

(I'd advise you two to start a thread in the SF-O Stuff board regarding the posting issues that you've been encountering.  Try to include as many relevant details as possible, like what browser you were using, whether or not your cookies/cache have been cleared, screenshots, etc.) 

 

Neil nodded along with Sal's summary of the events, satisfied at what his avian acquaintance covered.  Folding his arms and exhaling as the incident came flooding back, his tail slowly fell and his ears laid further back against his head as his subconscious recalled the fear of nearly becoming a collection of pieces as opposed to a single being.

"Shots, possibly originating from an energy-based weapon, rang out from a nearby rooftop, directed toward our group," he began, struggling to keep his teeth from grinding against one another.  "They came from a single location and a laser targeting device of some sort was used in order to guide them, although fortunately it was unsuccessful.  The assailant was camouflaged with a visual cloaker and was able to successfully flee as a larger hostile fleet entered Virnat's airspace."  

Glancing to his compatriots to check for any further commentary, he stepped back and waited to see where the conversation would go next.  The raccoon started this journey hanging around a cantina, and now he was surrounded by warring factions, refugees, and an air of dangerous uncertainty.  It never ceased to amaze him how quickly circumstances could change.

Edited May 29, 2015 by OneUnder

[Star_Dragon]

D'Tan frowned, as though shocked. "If that is so," he said, "You are all fortunate to be alive. Moreover, you came into contact with a man who's been reportedly dead for nearly ten years."

"... Alpha One..." Trask growled.

"Indeed," D'Tan affirmed. "He'd been plaguing the Republic for some time. We thought we'd killed him off during that incident near Eridanus Secundus, but, apparently, those reports were greatly exaggerated."

"So now he's back, and working with the Tal Shiar," Trask surmised. "Great."

D'Tan apparently decided to change the subject, as he said, "Well, now that you all are safe from the Tal Shiar, the question you face is... what will you do now? Will you help us fight the Tal Shiar?"

"The Tal Shiar drew first blood, and forced me out of retirement," Trask said. "I will not wait for them to strike out at me again."

"Indeed," D'Tan responded. "And, given your service record and firsthand experience, I believe you'd be a perfect addition to the Republic fleet. To that end - seeing as in your service record, you'd been recommended for this, anyway - I am going to circumvent standard military procedures and give you the rank of Vice Admiral in the Republic fleet."

Trask stood at attention. "Thank you, sir."

D'Tan looked at the others present. "What of the rest of you? Will you join our struggle against the Tal Shiar?"

[Clearwater]

Sal looked down at his talons, thinking long and hard over the question that D'Tan had just asked him.
''Well... If it means getting rid of a potential threat to this place...'' He murmured. Making his decision, he stood up straight.
''Count me in.'' He said firmly. ''In case it helps, I'm good with freerunning and and any orientation tasks, such as making maps and such.''
 

(Great, now that some engineer cocked up badly at school, I can't use Firefox any more and am now having to resort to the only option I didn't want to use... Internet Explorer. )

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan pondered the question hard in his mind. He was an agent of the Czar of Ruthenia, and therefore, a representative of the Ruthenian Empire. His acceptance of this offer would spell war with Ruthenia and the Romulans, and Nikita X, the current Czar, does not wish his nation and his people to be involved in yet another costly conflict. "I will have to brief His Majesty, the Czar on the situation, as well as await his judgement on what action I, and Ruthenia, should undertake," he explained. "However, I cannot vouch for my compatriots, for they are not under the jurisdiction of the Czar." Bohdan then turned to Elizabeth, awaiting her answer.

"I'll join you. I've been shot at by these maniacs, and it's time I fired back." She had a look of determination in here eyes. "I also have two other men who would love to fight against the Tal Shiar. In fact, one of them was shot by a Tal Shiar soldier: a fatal mistake on that soldier's part." Elizabeth approached D'Tan in a posture she hadn't taken since she was decorated with a medal for her actions during the Lylat Wars. "Where do you want us, sir?"

[Star_Dragon]

Sal looked down at his talons, thinking long and hard over the question that D'Tan had just asked him.
''Well... If it means getting rid of a potential threat to this place...'' He murmured. Making his decision, he stood up straight.
''Count me in.'' He said firmly. ''In case it helps, I'm good with freerunning and and any orientation tasks, such as making maps and such.''
 

(Great, now that some engineer cocked up badly at school, I can't use Firefox any more and am now having to resort to the only option I didn't want to use... Internet Explorer. )

​(Damn. That SUCKS. I outright DESPISE IE. Good luck with that mess, mate.)

"A scout, basically," D'Tan surmised, his face bearing a look of approval. "We have few enough of those already."

Bohdan pondered the question hard in his mind. He was an agent of the Czar of Ruthenia, and therefore, a representative of the Ruthenian Empire. His acceptance of this offer would spell war with Ruthenia and the Romulans, and Nikita X, the current Czar, does not wish his nation and his people to be involved in yet another costly conflict. "I will have to brief His Majesty, the Czar on the situation, as well as await his judgement on what action I, and Ruthenia, should undertake," he explained. "However, I cannot vouch for my compatriots, for they are not under the jurisdiction of the Czar." Bohdan then turned to Elizabeth, awaiting her answer.

"I'll join you. I've been shot at by these maniacs, and it's time I fired back." She had a look of determination in here eyes. "I also have two other men who would love to fight against the Tal Shiar. In fact, one of them was shot by a Tal Shiar soldier: a fatal mistake on that soldier's part." Elizabeth approached D'Tan in a posture she hadn't taken since she was decorated with a medal for her actions during the Lylat Wars. "Where do you want us, sir?"

​"I understand - it's a big, not to mention important, request. You are not compelled to help us, but we will welcome any help you can offer," D'Tan said in response to Bohdan's answer. When she heard Elizabeth's statement, he smiled. "Well, the Republic would welcome anyone you think would help. As for you... a decorated officer - like Trask as well as yourself - is no ordinary recruit. We rarely get officers here. However, as much as I would like to give you a ship of your own, I'm afraid we both lack any available ships and we lack the resources to commission one. So, for the time being, I must ask that you remain with Admiral Trask, here, until either one becomes available..." he looked to Trask and added, "or you somehow manage to procure a ship. I leave the choice to you."

Finally, D'Tan looked to Neil. "What say you, sir? Will you aid us against the Tal Shiar? Or will you find safety someplace in the galaxy until this conflict subsides? It's your choice - no one will think less of you either way."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Elizabeth turned to Bohdan, smiling with a somewhat mischievous grin. Bohdan immediately recognized what she wanted. "No," he said firmly.

"Oh, come on," Elizabeth pleaded. "Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!" Bohdan was firm in his answer. Elizabeth was frustrated with his repeated denials. She turned to D'Tan in explanation.

"This guy is the current owner of the now decommissioned Star-Class cruiser RSS Szabla. The Ruthenians aren't even using it anymore! They wiped the decals off!" Elizabeth stressed the 'decommissioned' part.

"But it is still a Ruthenian design," Bohdan said in defense of keeping the Szabla out of the conflict.

"From your childhood!" Elizabeth was correct in that statement, for the Empire had not used a ship of that class in nearly 200 years, the approximate life-span of Bohdan. "D'Tan, sir, the Szabla's a fine ship. She has a powerful arsenal, and her shields are impeccable. In the Battle of Tulga Prime, she took out a whole fleet of Khergit planet-class battleships - their biggest ones - in 12 minutes." This was yet again correct, as in her last battle before being decommissioned, the Szabla had destroyed the 5th Fleet of the Khergit Khanate in the Tulga System, a defeat which lead to the Khanate's capitulation to the will of the Ruthenian Czar over 200 years ago. "Yes, she may be old, but she can still fight. And fighting ships is what you need. If this guy can give me command of it..." Elizabeth glared at Bohdan.

"Command? Command?! Excuse me?!" Bohdan, although finding the concept of giving Elizabeth command of his ship and his home was odious, he nevertheless kept his composure. "We shall see what His Majesty has to say about this whole situation. I request that you take me to the Szabla. It is cloaked at these coordinates." Bohdan then took out a transmitter from his pocket. It was the size of a cell phone, and it revealed the coordinates of the cloaked vessel.

[CrypticQuery]

​Finally, D'Tan looked to Neil. "What say you, sir? Will you aid us against the Tal Shiar? Or will you find safety someplace in the galaxy until this conflict subsides? It's your choice - no one will think less of you either way."

His ears perked up as he was addressed, and his observation of the various pieces of equipment lying around was cut short.  ​It was at this utterance that Neil realized that he hadn't really thought over what he had been doing as of late.  All of his recent actions, his interactions, and the allies that he made were simply based upon instinctual responses to dangerous stimuli.  Behind the wisecracking persona he put off, he was fucking terrified of what the future could hold, or couldn't hold depending upon how things went.  Meeting D'Tan's gaze, but finding himself unable to maintain the eye contact, he lowered his head to the floor and sighed, digging his hands into his jacket.  If he wasn't here, where would he be?  Back at what he had been doing before; drifting from one outpost to another, trying to find something worthwhile.  It seemed as if he had stopped truly living long ago, and was just going through the motions in hopes of finding something - anything that made him regain the ability to give a damn.  Yet the closest he had ever been to death was the first time he could remember feeling alive in a long time.  Blowing air out of his nose in a huff as he tilted his head back upward to face the official before him, and then turning to observe the group momentarily, the raccoon hesitated before nodding. 

"If they found him," Neil began, pointing his thumb in Trask's direction, "there's a damn fine chance that I'll have my head mounted on a wall somewhere if I try to walk away from this thing.  That, and it still beats the hell outta' hanging around cantinas hoping that someone good lookin' will give you a second glance."  The right corner of his mouth curling into a modest smile, the raccoon nodded his head. 

"I'm on board." 

Edited May 30, 2015 by OneUnder

[Star_Dragon]

(Arminius, before I decide whether or not to use your ship in this RP [assuming Bo allows it to be used], I'll need you to post a detailed description of it. Please include at least the weapons compliment, shield strength and type, and size, and if you can, post an image. Truthfully, I was going to supply Elizabeth with either a Starfleet or KDF ship, depending on how things went. But if you have a ship already in mind, I need to know how powerful it is. Trask's ship is powerful enough, what with it's ability to fire weapons and deploy shields and warp drive while under cloak [impossible for typical ships, Reman, Romulan and Klingon alike]. I would like to know what boundaries your proposed ship would push.)

 

His ears perked up as he was addressed, and his observation of the various pieces of equipment lying around was cut short.  ​It was at this utterance that Neil realized that he hadn't really thought over what he had been doing as of late.  All of his recent actions, his interactions, and the allies that he made were simply based upon instinctual responses to dangerous stimuli.  Behind the wisecracking persona he put off, he was fucking terrified of what the future could hold, or couldn't hold depending upon how things went.  Meeting D'Tan's gaze, but finding himself unable to maintain the eye contact, he lowered his head to the floor and sighed, digging his hands into his jacket.  If he wasn't here, where would he be?  Back at what he had been doing before; drifting from one outpost to another, trying to find something worthwhile.  It seemed as if he had stopped truly living long ago, and was just going through the motions in hopes of finding something - anything that made him regain the ability to give a damn.  Yet the closest he had ever been to death was the first time he could remember feeling alive in a long time.  Blowing air out of his nose in a huff as he tilted his head back upward to face the official before him, and then turning to observe the group momentarily, the raccoon hesitated before nodding. 

"If they found him," Neil began, pointing his thumb in Trask's direction, "there's a damn fine chance that I'll have my head mounted on a wall somewhere if I try to walk away from this thing.  That, and it still beats the hell outta' hanging around cantinas hoping that someone good lookin' will give you a second glance."  The right corner of his mouth curling into a modest smile, the raccoon nodded his head. 

"I'm on board." 

 

 

​"Fair enough," D'Tan told Neil. He looked to Elizabeth and Bohdan, listening to them argue.

Elizabeth turned to Bohdan, smiling with a somewhat mischievous grin. Bohdan immediately recognized what she wanted. "No," he said firmly.

"Oh, come on," Elizabeth pleaded. "Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!" Bohdan was firm in his answer. Elizabeth was frustrated with his repeated denials. She turned to D'Tan in explanation.

"This guy is the current owner of the now decommissioned Star-Class cruiser RSS Szabla. The Ruthenians aren't even using it anymore! They wiped the decals off!" Elizabeth stressed the 'decommissioned' part.

"But it is still a Ruthenian design," Bohdan said in defense of keeping the Szabla out of the conflict.

"From your childhood!" Elizabeth was correct in that statement, for the Empire had not used a ship of that class in nearly 200 years, the approximate life-span of Bohdan. "D'Tan, sir, the Szabla's a fine ship. She has a powerful arsenal, and her shields are impeccable. In the Battle of Tulga Prime, she took out a whole fleet of Khergit planet-class battleships - their biggest ones - in 12 minutes." This was yet again correct, as in its last battle before being decommissioned, the Szabla had destroyed the 5th Fleet of the Khergit Khanate in the Tulga System, a defeat which lead to the Khanate's capitulation to the will of the Ruthenian Czar over 200 years ago. "Yes, she may be old, but she can still fight. And fighting ships is what you need. If this guy can give me command of it..." Elizabeth glared at Bohdan.

"Command? Command?! Excuse me?!" Bohdan, although finding the concept of giving Elizabeth command of his ship and his home was odious, he nevertheless kept his composure. "We shall see what His Majesty has to say about this whole situation. I request that you take me to the Szabla. It is cloaked at these coordinates." Bohdan then took out a transmitter from his pocket. It was the size of a cell phone, and it revealed the coordinates of the cloaked vessel.

​"While the Republic needs every ship it can get, we won't force anything on anyone," D'Tan said. "Colonel... if you need to get into contact with your people, I can allow you use of an FTL Comm Array on this deck."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan took up D'Tan's offer on using an FTL Comm Array on the deck. "Of course, D'Tan. I must inform the Czar right away."

[Star_Dragon]

(Arminius, if you're not going to use the ship, just say so. If you are going to use it, please posted the requested information in the discussion thread. And, if you decide, for some reason, you want to use whatever Starfleet or KDF ship I would have supplied Elizabeth, we can discuss the details via PM.)

D'Tan indicated one of the consoles in the room, unoccupied, sitting as though waiting for Bohdan to use it. "Feel free - and don't worry, our communications are ghost-encrypted. Even if the Tal Shiar pick it up, they won't be able to listen in."

While D'Tan spoke to Bo, Trask looked to Sal. "Sal... when you encountered Alpha One..." Trask paused to correct himself, "... the hunter... or assassin, or whatever... did he say anything?"

[Clearwater]

''He... Said something about seeing if we could survive against the Tal Shiar.'' Sal replied, not sounding too sure about himself.
''But something tells me that he's got other tricks up his sleeve. He said it like he... knew... we were going to get out of this
one alive.''
Salto began to rub the bottom of his beak with his wing in a pensive mood as he looked back and forth between Trask and D'Tan.
''He wants us somewhere. I can feel it.'' He murmured. ''He wants us to go to where he escaped when we picked up him warping out.''

[Star_Dragon]

(I apologize for the delay. Did Clearwater explain why I was gone as I asked? And Arminius, in case Clearwater didn't pass on my message...  Arminius, while I like the ship, the weapons compliment seems a bit... excessive, in terms of power. You could have just said it packs Phaser banks and Photon Torpedo bays and left it at that, seeing as Phasers and Photon Torpedoes are quite common in the universe this RP takes place in. Size is somewhat acceptable, though it could stand to be a bit smaller (3000 meters is the length of a Borg Cube). Crew would be the biggest issue, as a ship that size could not be crewed by 5 people, though I can easily correct this issue during planned visits with Starfleet and the KDF. All in all, I can allow this ship.)

"I'm inclined to agree," Trask told Sal. "Alpha One wouldn't carelessly allow himself to be detected warping away from a combat zone..." he paused, then told Sal, "Get back to the Retribution's Thunder, have Tovan and the bridge crew review the sensor log of when they detected our assassin warping away. I want to know where he went."

D'Tan brought one of the FTL Comm Consoles online, and moved aside for Bohdan to access it.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

(Alright then, I'll add a few more crew members, but not too much. The Szabla is after all, no longer "in service".)

Bohdan approached the FTL Comm Console D'Tan had assigned to him. "Thank you," he said as he managed to squeeze his large frame into the proportionally small seat. He looked behind him, wary of any prying eyes. Pulling up the Ruthenian Imperial Military Information Hub, Bohdan typed in his clearance password, one of the highest in the Empire, pulling up a communication channel with the Czar himself: a privilege he has earned after decades of dutiful and notable service. After a few moments of uncertainty, the Czar himself appeared on the monitor, sitting at his desk in the Red Palace in the capital of Kitezh on Ruthenia. The sun's rusty red light around which orbited Ruthenia shone through the windows of the Czar's Grand Hall. He leaned forward towards his own monitor. Bohdan made a fist and placed in on his chest, then raised his hand to the right of his head, his palm open, in a salute. He lowered his arm when the Czar made the same salute.

"Why have you contacted me, Colonel?" The Czar asked in a calm manner. His voice was soft, yet managed to garner an average listener's respect. He spoke in Rusyn, the official language of the Ruthenian Empire. It was completely foreign to all others on the Observation Deck, but sounded vaguely Earth-like, specifically Eastern European.

"Your Majesty," Bohdan began. "I have contacted you to report a development."

"The trade agreement with Virinat has been completed?" the Czar asked, with a hint of hope in his voice.

"No, Your Majesty," Bohdan replied. He swallowed, reluctant to give an explanation. "Virinat has been destroyed, and its inhabitants have either been killed or evacuated by Romulan Republic ships." The Czar was puzzled, and stood up from his chair. He walked towards the window, and the monitor detached from the desk and floated alongside him. The Czar looked out onto the glorious capital of his grand Empire, bathed in red sunshine. He sighed, and looked back to the floating monitor.

"Who are the perpetrators?" the Czar asked.

"Romulan Tal Shiar troops, Your Majesty." The Czar was now absolutely befuddled. Why would the Star Empire annihilate their own colony? But now that was not the proper question to ask. Now, the question was this: what shall his subject, Col. Chmielnicki, a representative of the Empire, do now? He elected to answer that question.

"Colonel," the Czar began. "Just because you were there does not mean I now have a valid casus belli against the Romulan Star Empire. And besides, you know I would not seek war in this, or any other situation." Bohdan nodded in silent agreement. However, there was one incident that disturbed them.

"Your Majesty, several of them attacked me. They fired upon me and my compatriots." The Czar was troubled by Chmielnicki's claims. Now he had to think hard over his newest decision. War or peace? Of course, the Czar wished peace. But he did have a valid casus belli: Romulan Tal Shiar troops did attack a Ruthenian envoy and agent of the Empire.

"I will deploy a peacekeeping brigade two attack cruisers, and place them under your command," the Czar answered, stressing the 'peacekeeping' part of his sentence. "Remember, fire only if you are fired upon. Any prisoners of war you come across are to be repatriated to their respective nations, and any prisoners of war you liberate are to be repatriated as well."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chmielnicki said. The Czar nodded, and he ordered the transmission to end, and so it did. The screen went blank, and Chmielnicki deactivated the console. He stood back up, and turned to D'Tan. "Sir," he began. "The Czar will send a peacekeeping force of two attack cruisers, and place them under my command. However, I am only to attack if I am attacked first. They shall arrive here within a few hours, if travelling at maximum warp." Bohdan then turned to Elizabeth, grinning. "I am still the Boss," he said. Elizabeth looked annoyed.

[Clearwater]

''Very well, sir.'' Sal nodded, then turned away and began to head back down to the teleporter room. As he waited for the elevator to reach his destination, Sal crossed his wings and sighed. Some adventure this certainly was turning out to be. Then again, he wasn't the only one amongst his old friends from home who wanted to go on adventure. There was one bird - a green Military Macaw, name was Spector - who was always wandering off on his own, exploring what laid beyond the boundaries of their home... Wonder where he was, and how he was now...

Sal's surroundings came back into vision when the elevator pinged and it's doors opened. Sal opened up a line to Tovan back on the Retribution's Thunder.

''Tovan? It's me, Salto,'' He said. ''Trask wanted me to come back to your ship and look through the sensor log. He wants to know where that signal we picked up warped out to. I'll be with you in a few moments, hold the line.''

Sal positioned himself onto the teleporter pad and waited for him to be beamed back across.

 

(Oh yeah, Star, if it's possible, could you also find a way for me to introduce this Spector into this RP? He's a character that's been fluttering around in my head for a while)

Edited June 6, 2015 by Clearwater

[Star_Dragon]

(We can discuss that in the discussion thread.)

"Acknowledged," Tovan responded. "Ready to beam you back on your word. I don't know if Trask told you to close your eyes during transport - makes the experience a lot less nauseating for first-timers."

 

"Assuming you're with us," D'Tan said to Bohdan as he acknowledged a report from a Republic Lieutenant, "we can get your ship and you and the Vice Admiral here to the Khitomer system."

"Khitomer?" Trask asked. "What's there?"

"Khitomer was the site where the Federation and Klingon Empire first formed their peace agreement in the wake of the Praxis disaster," D'Tan said. "It is where the Klingons and Federation first became allies... and could possibly become allies again. More to the point, however, it is where we may be able to secure an alliance with either - or both - of them, to get their aid against the Tal Shiar."

"And you want us to provide security?" Trask surmised.

"Correct," D'Tan responded. "The Tal Shiar - specifically Empress Sela and Colonel Hakeev - will not waste such an opportunity to eliminate important members of the Romulan Republic, seeing as both Temer and I will be there. If the Tal Shiar does make a move, I'll need you all there to stop them. Any questions?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"D'Tan," Bohdan began. "Although Ruthenian military forces are being deployed in this sector, they are not here to engage Romulan military forces. They are here for peacekeeping purposes, so that this incident does not develop into a general conflagration." He bent over to D'Tan's height. "Ruthenia wants peace, as do I. I cannot fight for you, but I can escort you, as a 'peacekeeping' mission. You do, after all, wish to resolve this conflict as bloodlessly as possible, yes?"

[Star_Dragon]

"Indeed I do," D'Tan agreed. "A bloody conflict is not what anyone wants. But, I can assure you, the Tal Shiar will not take kindly the presence of your ships. Khitomer is neutral territory, but do not mistake the Tal Shiar's intent. They want vengeance and to build a new Star Empire from the ashes of the old... and burn anyone in their way. Count on them making demands and threats, count on them starting the fights. Those were three things common in the old Star Empire." Looking to Trask, he continued, "If there are no further questions, I will see you all on Khitomer." D'Tan left the group, and Trask looked to Bohdan. "Where are your ships meeting us?" he asked. "Sooner we meet them and get your ship, sooner we can get to Khitomer."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"Imperial Command currently tracks my location with a transmitter I carry on my person at all times, so the task force they should arrive within several hundred kilometers of my position." Bohdan said. "And of my ship, I can send my two associates over to it. They know the exact location of the Szabla. My man are among the refugees rescued from Virinat. One of them is a Cornerian beaver named Korben Dallas. The other man is a Magyar tykeriel named Sandor Kalocsai. They are both non-military. However, they are extremely dangerous, and one of them is a doctor."

[Clearwater]

(OneUnder hasn't posted here in a little while. I feel we should slow down the pace so that way he won't miss out on too much until he gets back.)

 

Salto stretched his back and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
''I'm ready when you are.'' He said, keeping his eyelids firmy shut as the teleporter brought him back on board to the Retribution's Thunder. When he was sure, Sal opened his eyes to see he was back on the ship. He smiled. Wasn't as bad as last time  now, was it?''
''Tovan, I'm on my way up.'' He said, glancing about him as he made his way back up to the bridge. Along the way, he...felt a presence... Someone he knew was here as well...

Resting against a nearby wall, the green Military Macaw took in a deep breath and sighed, adjusting the shawl draped around the upper part of his torso. Not much to go on right now, what with his superiour officer Tovan giving him a small break for the time being. For now though, he'd figure he'd take a look around.
Spector was a shy one - something that he both liked and disliked about himself. The former because it made him genuinly honest, and the latter because it made it more difficult for him to socialise more. But that was something he slowly began to overcome through the couple of years he'd been serving on this ship.
As Spector turned a corner, he noticed a flash of red only just go out of view...
''Que...'' He muttered, then gasped. ''Was that... It couldn't have been...''
Was that... Sal...?
Spector broke into a run to catch up.

[CrypticQuery]

(Thanks, Clear.  Sorry for the wait.)

While negotiations and strategic planning were occurring, a certain raccoon was notably absent.  Seeing as the other members of the group were forging the semantics of the plan, and that he would be somewhat useless considering his lack of knowledge of their enemy, region, or anything worthwhile, Neil had taken to exploring the bridge of the vessel in the meantime.  Sauntering through the aisles of the consoles and displays in no big hurry, he glanced back and forth in order to gauge what sort of information was available.  Throttle position, the conditions of several stabilizers, life support systems, orientation, amongst other diagnostic reports came in at a steady rate, and needless to say he was impressed.  The most advanced thing he had been in previous to this was the beater of a van that he drove daily, and he considered its cassette player state of the art.  Turning his head to the left in order to better observe the ship's immediate surroundings, he chuckled to himself at the empty void, realizing that there was no way to tell much of anything aside from those pieces of equipment lining the walls and floors of the bridge.     

[Star_Dragon]

(OneUnder, is that a Die Hard reference in your personal text?)

"Take one of my shuttles, get to your ship," Trask told Bohdan, handing him a small device with a set of spatial coordinates. "Meet me over Khitomer."

*     *     *

"Acknowledged," Tovan acknowledged Sal. "Did you catch where we're headed next, by chance?"

[CrypticQuery]

(Welcome to the party, pal. )

Edited June 10, 2015 by OneUnder