Topic: In an office chair on M'Raa...

[KAT MRess]

The figure shifted in his chair uneasily.

It had been along time since he had been able to stretch properly. Too long. Things had taken a turn for the worse for him lately, things that had needed his undivided attention. As a result he hadn't been exercising properly, and hurting his knee didn't help (he shouldn't have heaved her matched luggage so hard).

Redfur had dissappeared. Presumably to further the needs of W.A.N.K.E.R. to unprecedented heights of shopping frenzy. Then Miss Throat turned out to be another W.A.N.K.E.R. agent and had decided to pursue a career in assasination instead of administration.

What's the difference? Both will kill you.

That had left him in a position where he had to handle EVERTHING! It had taken time but now he had delegated enough that he could not only screen for a new assistant, but he could actually get back into the field again. Not in an intelligence capacity (no more Kroma thank you!) but in a ship to pilot against their enemies. Apparently the Klingons were getting uppity again and the Feds were too busy talking about it, as per usual.

But first he had to secure a new assistant. He stretched a good long stretch. Too long. His eyepatch popped off from the effort. He slowly relaxed the effort and then cursed himself as he leaned over to retrieve the patch. He stood and rubbed the scar around the socket. Sometimes it still itched. He just had to take care not to scratch the soft inside too vigorously as it would always be tender. Using the palm of his paw he rubbed the area instead. He sighed, returned to the dossiers on his desk and settled the patch back into place.

He sifted the pile in front of him.

One of them caught his eye (literally, one eye, get it?). She looked like she was very qualified. Excellent education, respectable work history and...

Whoa maker! Look at that picture!

This could turn out to be a very good war.

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

I wonder if he's referring to Kim,

lets see warm lap, likes to pet, purrs exceptionally well......

I'm jealous...........

[Rolling]

I wonder if he's referring to Kim,

lets see warm lap, likes to pet, purrs exceptionally well......

I'm jealous...........

Whoa maker! Look at that picture!

Nope.

[KAT MRess]

Tr?rin was feeling very apprehensive. Even though the trip to the historical society fair was distracting her from the trepidation, she couldn?t shake the uneasy feeling.

The young Kzinrette had taken a bold step and was waiting to hear back the results. Recently the government office she had worked at for several of years had closed its branch and she had found herself without employment. As good fortune would have it she had heard a rumour of something available within the Armed forces, a position of ?Personal Assistant? to someone of importance. She had no idea of who it was, but she had practically leapt at the opportunity.

All those years she spent in school were about to pay off. Graduating at the top of her class in Mathematics and History she had many options available to her. Brains, determination, and a keen sense of duty she could have had her pick at many positions. However, she did lack one thing.

Experience.

And so she had toiled for years at an entry level position in order to build the necessary credentials for something more. And it had finally come. Although the information on the position was not extensive and actually rather vague, she applied anyway. Just getting her foot in the door was enough.


Her best friend C?erah was trying to get her to relax by treating her to a trip to the fair.

?Will you pay attention,? C?erah chided her. ?the best part is coming up.? Indeed the skit they were watching to portray a critical battle in one of the past wars was about to reach its climax.

?I?m trying to, I just can?t get my mind off it.? She answered as she checked her PADD (for the umpteenth time in the past hour) for any messages.

??A watched prey will never run.?? C?erah quoted an old hunting proverb. In her own way she was telling Tr?rin to relax and not watch her PADD as it would only make the wait longer. ?Besides your tail is twitching so nervously, you?re attracting just about every male within 200 yards.?

Tr?rin reached around and grabbed her tail in her hand and held onto it. The last thing she wanted was a amorous male to complicate things.

[KAT MRess]

The message light was flashing when she returned.

C?erah finally had to yank the PADD out of her hand in order to get her to pay attention. Once it was out of her reach, she was indeed able to concentrate on what was going on. She was still nervous though and had to keep holding on to her tail.

At the end of the fair she had returned home on the pretense of cleaning. It was true she had to clean her kitchen. But putting the dishes away would only take 5 minutes. In truth she wanted to be there in case she received ?The Call?. When she saw the flash her heart almost stopped.

Would this be what she worked so hard for?

She tapped the entry button and held her breath. It was her pater (father). He was wondering if she had received the call yet because her mater (mother) was fretting too much to make the call herself. The breath came out in a slight whoosh. The message was erased.

Tr?rin was just about to turn off the console when the second message started. She froze as she listened.

[KAT MRess]

Tr?rin couldn?t believe what had just happened to her.

It had been a week since the outbreak of war (again). The interview the week before that, had been a disaster for her.

*****

The day before had been spent shopping for a better outfit to wear. She knew this was important, after all it was in the Armed forces headquarters, nothing she had was suitable. Most of her wardrobe consisted of student outfits, lounging, studying and classroom clothes. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would suit the formality of HQ. With C?erah?s help she was finally able to pick out a suit that was her style while at the same time matching the cut and dry code of the military.

When she arrived at HQ she needed to ask for directions. Immediately she caught the eye of two warriors off to one side, but she was too nervous too notice. The old sergeant at the front desk, an older Orange warrior with curious black highlights and a ridiculous blue hat, read the obviouslt coded appointment info and cocked an eyebrow. He looked her up and down, which normally would have made her uncomfortable but, again, she was too nervous to notice. He pointed her toward an elevator and gave her the floor number. She turned to follow the directions.

Behind her, the two Kzintosh moved to follow, but the sergeant growled. They turned to him obviously upset. He motioned to the insignia on his neck and pointed up, indicated who she was here to see. Immediately, their expressions changed and they didn?t pursue.

The office was on one of the top floors. When she arrived, there was no-one else in the office, not even an assistant. She was a little early so she looked around.

The office was well appointed and immaculately kept. The overall colour was the standard military grey, but there were a few personables about. The desk looked like it hadn?t been occupied for a while, but like the rest of the room was very clean. A series of images was on the wall. They depicted various Kzin in poses for the pictures, both in the field and formal. The central figure was always a one-eyed Siamese. That must be him she correctly assumed. There were also some older ones where he had both eyes and still others with other species. She had never actually seen any of the races, only heard and read about them. Klingon, Hydrans (judging by the enviro suits), Gorn (was all that pink frilly stuff a part of their plumage?), Human (must be human, they?re so small and hairless!), ISC, and even a Lyran! Hmmm, no Romulan.

She turned to look at more of the office. So attentive to the rest of the office she didn?t see the small shoe rack and promptly tripped over it.

[KAT MRess]

Feedback?

I can't play due to ISP problems, so I thought I'd do some writing again.

[el-Karnak]

Feedback?

I can't play due to ISP problems, so I thought I'd do some writing again.

Me like. Please post more.

[KAT MRess]

M?ress keyed the video terminal as the next appointment should be here by now. The picture appeared and showed an empty room.

Hmmm, she?s late. Not a good start.

He was about to turn the terminal off when a movement caught his eye. It was in the very lower corner of the picture and barely noticeable. He touched the video control and panned down.

There on the floor with her back to the terminal was the next appointment. She was sitting, so she could rub her shin. Judging by the upset shoe rack, he guessed she had tripped on it. He keyed the sound and could hear her softly cursing. Then she started to stand, still attending the injured shin and ruffled outfit leg. But in doing so, she stayed bent over, offering an unopposed posterior view to the terminal.

His eye widened. Taking in the view, he paused to let her regain her composure and then cleared his throat.

Tr?rin was so startled when she heard the sound that she let out a small squeal and leapt into the air. Whirling around, her tail collided with an ornament on the desk sending it across the desk and spilling the contents. She was scrambling to clean it up, when she saw that the terminal had been activated. The face was the one-eyed Siamese and the expression while fairly composed, showed mild amusement.

?Miss Tr?rin, I presume??

[Soreyes]

Me like also!!   May I have some more please

[KAT MRess]

Me like also!!   May I have some more please

Only if you guys promise not to talk monosyllabic.




Tr?rin was mortified.

Not only had she embarrassed herself by tripping, and spilling the holder on the desk, she had inadvertently mooned this officer. Her composure started to waver. All she could manage was a paw to partially cover her face and a feeble nod. The image paused, obviously regarding her, and then spoke,

?I have to finish a report here, which will take a minute or two. Would you like to take the time to? ah?? the eye flicked down to her shin, ?freshen up?? She nodded again.

?Alright, when you?re done just come back. The washroom is around the corner.? The terminal turned off.

***

M?ress paused for a second and then turned the monitor back on.

?Watch out for the??  thud    ??shoe rack.?

He just turned the monitor off and shook his head.

[KAT MRess]

After examining her shin in the washroom, it was easy to find the two red welts under the fur, she took the time to straighten her outfit and smooth the ruffled fur. After some deep breathing to calm down, she realized that this would have to be a stellar interview in order for her to qualify for this job. That she could do. She might even throw in a bit of flirting for good measure, just to ?enhance? the experience.

Yes, if she could do that, she just might be able to pull this off. She headed out the door, feeling more confident.

Since the office she had been in had no exit, she assumed his office was next down the hall. So she hiked her personal dossier and marched down the hall.

***

M?ress was filing the report (he wasn?t lying), when the little light in the corner on the monitor came on.

He leapt up over his desk, landing in front of the door, which hissed open.

?Don?t move!!? he bellowed.

Tr?rin was part way down the hall when she heard the command. She immediately froze on the spot.

M?ress breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door frame. His hand moved to the side of the door and returned with a parchment book. He walked down the hallway toward her, she started to relax and move again.

?Don?t move.? He hissed. She froze again. He stopped about 5 feet in front of her.

?You do know where you are?? he asked. She nodded.

?Did it ever occur to you that security in this building is tight?? Colour drained from her nose and lips (areas not covered in fur). He lofted the book into the air between them.

Instantly various coloured lasers sprang from the walls and incinerated the book.

?Another inch and that was you. Your bio signature isn?t encoded into the system.? She started to quiver.

He growled a command and after a couple of seconds, a beep responded.

?It?s ok, you can move now.? She started to outright shake as he offered his hand.

He helped her into the office and sat her in the chair.

[KAT MRess]

Needless to say, the rest of the interview did not go well.

As she passed the door and she saw the Office Title her eyes went wide. It was quite apparent that while she knew where she was, she just didn?t realize ?How High?.

The Kzinrette was very shaken and stammered through the whole interview. She even managed to spill a glass of water, not once, but twice. Bad enough the first was on his desk, but the second was in his lap. He didn?t think it was possible for a glass to shoot that far across the desk out of her hand.

Thankfully, the interview came to an end before any major damage was done. As she left she apologized for the destroyed book. He told her reassuringly not to worry about it, he never liked Gorn poetry anyway. The puzzled look from her prompted him to respond,

?Don?t ask.?

As he sat there afterwards, reviewing the interviews, there was only one conclusion he could draw.

*****

And so there she was, two weeks later, rearranging the office of the Assistant to the Patriarch of KAT. Pointedly, a certain offending shoe rack was kicked to the side of the door, away from the end of the table. Apparently it was ornamental but could be used by those who wore footwear, who visited this office from time to time.

Since he encouraged her to speak freely, she had questioned him about the shoe rack and about why he chose her after the disaster of an interview. He drew in a deep breath through his nose (was he sniffing her?) and offered only this explanation:

?Nobody,? he paused for emphasis, ?I mean nobody, rendered that inept with nervousness, could be wanker.?



What ever that meant.

[KAT MRess]

The first furlough of the war was met with much anticipation. Since he and his crew had not been in the field as much they were a little rusty (3 ships on the first patrol). So the furlough was being treated as an opportunity to brush up on some conditioning and tactical briefs.

M?Ress went straight to the office after disembarking with his duffel bag. He was also curious just how bad his newly hired assissstant Tr?rin had messed things up while he was gone. Having a screwed up schedule was no where near as bad as an angry Klingon in a D5D breathing down your DF+m. The change would be welcome.

He went straight by the outer door and into his office. Upon entering he threw the duffel on the couch and flopped into his chair. He stretched and sniffed the air.

Wildflowers.

He smiled to himself. Those two cleaning biddies always knew how to make him feel at home.

He relaxed into the chair. After a moment he awoke with a start to find Tr?rin standing in front of the desk with a PADD in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. She had entered silently and had cleared her throat to get his attention.

?Coffee, Sire.? She said holding out the mug.

He had developed a taste for the earth drink ever since his trip to Stars End Bar. While it was stimulating at first, it relaxed him afterwards. He accepted the mug and sipped at it. Double double. He nodded his approval. And opened his mouth to ask how she knew.

?It was programmed into the terminal by, Miss Throat was it??

Of course. He nodded at her other hand, ?What?s that??

?Your itinerary.? And handed over the PADD

Here it comes? He winced. She continued?

?I took the liberty of keeping Day One clear so you can rest and read up. Day Two you have several high ranking meetings including a regular conference with someone named Fluf, something about blame. Day Three has briefings to update you on various Fleet statuses and Day Four is inspecting the repair and refit of the Katnip.? She took a breath and continued?

?I also organized all your messages into business and personal. You have several inquiries from Tathor, your broker I believe, as too what you want done with certain funds. You also have a request from Dewey, Cheetum, and H?owe, aren?t they divorce lawyers? ?for the status of some documents. Finally some messages from several of your family.?


M?Ress was stunned.

[KAT MRess]

It was all M?ress could do to stare at the PADD. There it was, his schedule fully organized and prioritized. Even his messages were listed in order. Now it was his turn to stammer.

?Uh.. I? hmmm? Thank you.?

Tr?rins ears fluttered. This stunned reaction was what she was hoping for. Her own reaction was almost uncontrollable as she had worked hard to correct her first impression. It had worked, and he was dumbfounded.

?Will that be all?? she asked.

?Uh? yeah.? He straightened up ?Yes, thank you. That will be all.? She turned to leave but stopped about half way. She pointed to the duffel,

?Would you like me to send those for cleaning??

He looked blankly at the bag, then looked back at her. Suddenly he grinned,

?Yes, please.?

She moved to pick up the bag. At first she staggered, but then reset herself and hefted it and walked out. He outright smiled now, a broad toothy Kzin smile of satisfaction. Surprise, surprise.

Turning his attention to the PADD, he checked the time. Too late for business, he?ll worry about those tomorrow. He took a deep drink from the mug and started the personals.

Mater (mother). She wanted to know how the war was going and if he was getting enough sleep and relaxation since he was so tense the last time he saw her. He rolled his eye. OI!

Littermate (Older brother). Asking for help with moving his family to new estate. Not during a war.

Second-Litter mate (Younger Teenaged sister) Asking him to beat up her latest unfaithful Kzintosh paramour. That actually could be fun. Maybe I could just scare him a bit and not actually hurt him. He checked the identity of the Kzintosh as she had included it in the message. Hmmm, he?s military as well. No wonder she asked him. Drone duty maybe?

The last one caught him offguard completely as it wasn?t family.

Kayleen. His kzinrette before entry into the military.

[KAT MRess]

After all these years, she was sending him a message.

He read the next couple of lines very intently. In town, heard from a mutual old friend, had to call and see how you’re doing.

She was asking him out to dinner.

Now THAT was a surprise. Years ago when they had parted, it had been on good terms. But he had always initiated the contact they had. He was never completely sure if she was merely playing the diminutive role, or if she was truly brought up that way. Well, if she was asking HIM out, she might just have been playing the role. His mind raced. All sorts of possibilities about her were appearing and disappearing.

Then all of a sudden it all stopped. Realization hit when he remembered the appointment with Dewey, Cheetum and H’owe. That damn divorce. At least once the documents get verified he’ll be a free Kzin again. Redfur’s claws were long and sharp and knew exactly where to get him. But once he had the final word, he could…

“Message coming in from A Chuut R’itt, Sire” Tr’rin voice cut into his musings. “It’s marked as high priority.”

Damn him and his proprietary license.

[FPF-Wanderer]

 

Damn glad to see ya, Goose. 

[Bonk]

What he said.   

[GDA-Agave]

Very enjoyable, and well written.

(almost as good as Gorn poetry................................almost)

 

[KAT MRess]

Thought that might get some attention. 




Just dropping in to see how things are going and maybe add some entertainment.

If you want to know how things are going with me... well...


Just read the story. Real life has a way of spilling into fiction.






The summons from Chuut was almost a year ago. At first it had seemed like an urgent call at the time but it turned out to be just another reminder about certain military requirements.

Many things had happened since then. But there was no doubt the chain of events were started by that summons. M’Ress looked over at the clock, 3:05 in the morning and he couldn’t sleep. His bed was comfortable tonight, which made it really frustrating about not being able to sleep.

He got up and silently walked out to the kitchen. Opening the door he selected his favourite midnight drink. After a generous swig he replaced the cap why bother with a glass? and put it back. Slowly he wandered back to the bedroom.

The mission had not gone quite as he had hoped. In fact it had almost turned into a vacation. It really took him by surprise how things had developed. He pondered this as he returned to the bed.

The feminine figure beside him stirred. With a soft sleepy purr, she put her arm across his chest and snuggled in to his chest. He slipped his arm under her head and around her shoulders and he pulled her a little closer.

Yes, the bed was particularly warm and cozy tonight.

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

M'ress you mangy Bastard, good to see ya!

To keep you up to date

Things are pretty much Dyna as usual although we managed to pull off a victory in AOTK II. 

P.S.  the old KATFLEET site URL is bad, very bad actually unless you like the anacronym MILF.  I trust someone else took over that addy and you weren't responsible 

[Soreyes]

Good to hear from you again MRess

If you ever come back. I swear that there will be a MDC or two in the Yards

[Commander Maxillius]

wow, good read!  Don't know how I missed it the first time...

[KAT MRess]

M’ress closed the com link.

Chuut had a way of making everything seem like high Priority. The conversation had been brief, it was just a reminder of certain supplies that were needed. We he had asked why Chuut didn’t remind him before his last mission to save a trip, he was reminded the mission was covert and he hadn’t filed a plan or landing permits.

M’ress winced. That was true. So much for his expediency.

Looking over the upcoming mission schedules he noted that there were several non-critical ones in the area of Stars End. Hmmm this would be a good chance to run some escort and break in some new crew.

Including a certain potential paramour of his younger sister. M’ress smiled at himself, drone duty on Karbins ship was certainly tempting, but far too cruel. However, drone duty on his own ship…

He smiled. That idea had much appeal. But then the thought hit him. What to do about Tr'rin?

She had proven to be quite efficient after all. But after two failed assistants he wasn't in the mood to take chances.

A plan started to formulate.

[KAT MRess]

After issuing the orders to transfer the young officer, M’ress looked up the comlink address for Kayleen. It was actually in the same city as he was now. That would explain why she contacted him. He started to tap in the address but then he paused.

What would he say? What would she say? What would he wear? Did she know what path his career took? Unconsciously his paw wandered up to his patch and started to rub the outer socket with the palm. What would she think about this?

He sat, staring at the comlink, with the address half entered. Doubt filled his thoughts. It had been ten years since he even went out on a date. What was it like? How much had things changed? Did the males still pay for everything or had female rights progressed to the point where it was choice now? What should he wear? He only had uniforms and fatigues now.
He started to understand how the young officer he had just transferred must have felt. He was caught between a t’kzintar and an offal. Here he was Patriarch of an elite Military fleet with hundreds (maybe dozens) at his command and he couldn’t even make a decision about a date. His mind searched for an answer.

The idea popped into his head that he could call her and set the date which would give him time to get something casual. Yeah, that would work. He finished entering the code and then added the option for voice only.

As he waited for the connection, he saw the PADD with his itinerary for the next couple of days. Oh sthondat! He suddenly realized that he had no openings for a dinner date over the next couple of nights. He was reaching for the Comlink disconnect button when a soft feminine voice floated over the channel.

“Hello?”

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

<Start mood music>

*Boom shiki Boom, shiki Boom, shiki wawaaa, Boom skiki Boom, skiki Boom, shiki wawaaa>

 

[KAT MRess]

He was mortified. Kayleen had answered his call before he had chance to hang up. As a result he had to agree to a dinner tonight, in about 2 hours. He slumped in his chair.

“I’d rather face a hundred Hydran Hornets.” He thought to himself in despair. “Or a dozen Klingon B10’s. Even Kroma in heat! No… strike that. That would be too much” The only clothes available were in that duffel bag that Tr’rin had removed. The dress uniform he kept on hand in his office would certainly attract too much attention. He looked down at his day to day uniform. While it had rank, insignia, and designation, it did not have the rest of the decorations he’d earned. They were on the dress uniform.

It would have to do. Not too noticeable, but yet it displayed who he was. Yes that would be good. He drew deep breath of relief… and then held his nose. No it wouldn’t. He tapped the console.

“Tr’rin, can you bring back that duffel bag?” There was a pause.

“Ummm… no sire. It was just picked up by the cleaner.” M’Ress swore under his breath. “Pardon me sire?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” And he closed the channel.

Great. There he was about to have his first date in ten years and he didn’t have anything to wear. There was only one thing left to do.

[KAT MRess]

Precisely 5 minutes after M’Ress had called back, Tr’rin proceeded down the outer hallway to his office.

The callback had been most unusual. Not in the sense that it was the second call, he was after all a busy officer with a lot on his mind, but moreso what he’d asked her to do.

1 hour cleaning service that delivered? But she had already sent out the duffel bag.

The door hissed open. Sitting on top of the desk was a badly folded heap of clothes. A pile that looked very familiar. She confirmed her suspicions when she lifted the top garment. That meant… Off to the side of the office, she could hear the ultrahigh whine of a sonic shower start up.

She hesitated. Looking at the clothes in her hand and then to the door, she wondered. She had recognized at least one name on his itinerary. Dewey, Cheetum and Howe, the notorious divorce lawyers. Her she was, in the office of a high ranking officer who was practically single and naked! What to do? After all, he was pretty good looking (except for that patch) and in good shape.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? He was her boss. She hefted the pile and went back to her desk.

[KAT MRess]

Just to let everyone know...

I haven't forgotten or abandoned this story. I write the entries from work and my regular workstation, where the file is stored, hasn't been available.

But I am curious, are you are interested in finding out who M'Ress wound up with? After all the figure wasn't identified.

What do you think? Kayleen or Tr'rin?

[Bonk]

More space battles and death, I hate it when sci-fi goes all lovey-dovey and sappy.... 

[Hexx]

I'm holding out for the "surprise twist" where Kayleen and Tr'rin
turn out to be Kroma and J'inn.
Assuming (and hoping) they don't though, I think it's
been a while since the last jello wrestling scene.

..And of course if it's in space, and to the death then Bonk will
he happy as well.
(He's a bit of a sick puppy...)

[KAT MRess]

Oh there will be intrigue... that's what I'm building toward.

and yes (although it was going to be a surprise) there is a battle and violence involved. And maybe another trip to Kroma's...




M’Ress arrived a full 15 minutes early for dinner. He was so nervous that he paced outside for 5 minutes and was still early. Tr’rin had pulled off a minor miracle and not only had his casual uniform cleaned and pressed but she had managed to conjure a suitable afterscent. (Ever known a Kzin to shave?)

The maitre’d was just inside the door and immediately stiffened at the site of the uniform.

“Reservashun?” the maitre’d asked in a snooty overtone that was unmistakeable. His heart sank, in all his blundering he had forgotten all about reservations. And this maitre’d didn’t look like the friendly accommodating type.

In reality the maitre’d hated the appearance of military types. They were usually pushy and threw their weight around, trying to force their way in without a reservation. This officer didn’t look so sure of himself, however, and actually looked nervous.

“I… uhhh, don’t have… one.” M’ress faltered. “How long… ahme… until a table could be… uhhh… ready?”

If the host was surprised, he hid it well. (In fact he was totally shocked. This officer was actually being polite.) He was very experienced and accustomed to handle such situations. With a great exaggerated sigh, he took his time perusing the non-existent waiting list.

“I might hav somzink for joo in a ‘our.” If his heart sank before, it downright bottomed now. The maitre’d  took out his pen. “Namuh please.”

“M’ress.”

The maitre’d froze. There was no mistaking the hesitation this time. Something alarmed him.

“Cum agin?” Even the look of disbelief couldn’t be concealed.

“M’ress.” He repeated. The maitre’d muttered something that sounded like Damn. then he looked up and said,

“Rright ‘zis way. Your table iz waitink.”

[Laflin]

KAT Mess?  Chuut how'd you manage to dredge up this fossil? 

[KAT MRess]

Fossil?

FOSSIL?!?!

Hey I resemble that <breaks wind> that... uh... remark.

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

You gonna fly with us for Klingon Civil War Goose?

No droners, but we got Gook, Furocious, and J'inn returning for this one flying under the House S'uhn'ih banner, as well as other assorted old timers from other races, just bring your own walker as the loaners are already checked out, I think Sandman got the last one.

Let me know.

[KAT MRess]

<sprays air freshener>
<holds sound horn up to his ear>

Eh?

I'll need more info. Like when and what updates i need.
I'm so out of practise I might accidentaly shoot J'inn...

It's also VERY dependant on my schedule. One of many things that has happened during my absense was a change in jobs. I do shift work now. When I'm on rotation I literally dissappear for days.

And now...




Table iz waitink?!?!

The maitre’d fumbled for a second behind the screen for a brief moment. Then he lead the way into the restaurant.

M’Ress didn’t follow, it was his turn to be stunned. After a moment the Maitre’d reappeared and cleared his throat. M’ress started to follow slowly.

With his warrior senses alerted he became very aware of everyone and everything in the dining area. From the stiff backed waiters taking orders, to the overdone busboys cleaning empty tables (there were too many empty tables to have a “waiting list”), to the clink and rattle from the kitchen, even to the soft  live musicians off to one side playing an old but favourite song (what was it again? “Isn’t it romantic…”, hmph too bad the feds butchered it with that screeching they called singing). Above all that he noticed that most of the males, the ones that weren’t with mates, all seemed to be trying to inconspicuously oogle in the same direction.

It wasn’t until he was halfway across the restaurant that he realized the maitre’d was leading him in the direction they were staring wistfully. He rounded a rather large decorative, and fake, plant and saw what they were staring at.

It was her.

[KAT MRess]

It was as if he had gone back in time twenty years. He recognized her immediately as she had hardly changed at all.

Her long dark fur was teasingly brushed over to one side, partly covering one of a pair of large bright blue eyes. Her ears were smallish (or was it a trick of the fur styling) with rounded tips. Since she was sat sideways at the table he could her figure and legs fully. He stopped. It was almost a sure bet that even twenty years later, she could still wear her high school modelling clothes. In fact he thought he could vaguely remember seeing this particular dress before. He looked closer. Yes, one could not forget the way it slit partway up the thigh.

Kayleen was fussing with the napkin from the table and not paying attention. Obviously she was nervous too. So nervous that she seemed completely oblivious to all the stares she was attracting and to his approach.

It suddenly struck him how awkward he felt. Even though his uniform was pressed, he was freshly cleaned and had used his breath freshener, he still felt very awkward. She had never seen the uniform, or the eyepatch or the scars that adorned various visible areas. How would she react?


* * * * *


As far as M’Ress was concerned, the rest of the evening was a disaster. It was his turn to be as nervous as Tr’rin was during her interview. He even had a glass of water shoot out of his hand and almost into Kayleens’ lap. However, he did feel much better when she did the same thing immediately after when she jumped to avoid the projectile water.

That seemed to break the ice a bit, but the rest of the evening was still strained. Despite the candid conversation like old times and a welcome familiarity, there was still an underlying sense he could not shake.

Fear, from both of them.

[GDA-Agave]

I'm so out of practise I might accidentaly shoot J'inn...

No worries.   Hell, I might shoot J'inn just to get in some practice.

Where is that old flee bag these days anyway?   He sure did entertain me.   I think I might actually miss him.  <pause>   Nah!  That couldn't be it.   Could it?


<to M'Ress, more story please>

[KAT MRess]

The next 4 days were busy. Organized, but very busy. Tr’rins itinerary held up rock solid under the pressure of constant updates, revisions and scrutiny.

As promised the first day was reading and resting. Progress reports on the war and homeworld security were all waiting for him in chronological order. They alone took most of the day just to read. The evening was consumed in answering or evaluating. Sleep came easy that night.

Day Two were all the high ranking meetings. He hated these meetings. They were so mindnumbingly boring that they sapped everything right out of you. Most of the information contained within these meetings he already knew. He was just there as a formality to verify how things were operating. If it were possible he would have painted an eye on his lid to fake paying attention while he slept.

It was during this lull that his mind wandered to his dinner date.

When the waiter reached the table, he stood beside her for a moment and then cleared his throat. Kayleen had been staring at the napkin and hadn’t noticed his approach. She looked up from under her eyebrows, and if she hadn’t been so nervous, it would have been very fetching. When she looked over to him her eyes widened as they roved over the uniform and came to rest on the patch.

M’ress could stare down the most hardened of Warriors. But the minute her eyes fell on him he became very self-aware of the patch and unconsciously turned his head to block the view. Sensing his apprehension she looked away and offered her hand in greeting.

 Awkward was a very generous word to describe the situation. She too was recently divorced and struggling to rediscover herself. She had heard he’d entered the military, but admitted she didn’t understand the insignia. When he explained, she was incredulous. When he described how he got the patch, speechless.

The talked for a long time, well into the night. While he found himself enjoying it immensely (especially after the spilled drinks), there was still the underlying tension.

“What do you think Sire?”

The question snapped him back to the present. Fortunately he had heard enough of the conversation to provide and answer that didn’t make it look like he was daydreaming.

Day Three was certainly easier as it was all briefings, so he started on updating orders. Including a flight path to Stars End. This was where his plans for Tr’rin started to take shape.

[KAT MRess]

Sorry about the incredibely long delay in this one. I was waiting for the actual story to happen so i could write about it, it just took over a year to play out.

Shall we pick up where we left off?





The best part about working for the Patriarch was that she could set her own hours. Not that she would skimp and cut them short. But if she needed to adjust for a day due to an appointment, it was easily accommodated.

However, when he was in the office, it was the busiest time she’d ever known, so many people coming and going and so much paperwork. The different races astounded her, she’d read about them and heard rumors, but never actually seen any of them.

The Hydrans were still a mystery. Due to their environment suits she still hadn’t actually seen one. But they were polite enough.

She could not believe the Romulans though. Even when they stood right on front of her, they still denied they were even there.

Humans were interesting. Their ways were completely baffling to her and what was with that smiling all the time? On M’Raa,  a challenge like that could get you killed.

The biggest surprise were the Gorns. Did they really all wear those gaudy Tutus?

[KAT MRess]

Day 4 was a welcome change of pace. No more meetings and sitting around in stuffy offices pouring over data. This was field work.

The first order of business was to oversee the repairs and upgrades to the Katnip LIV. He headed into the office, it would only be a brief stopover to pick up necessary info. Tr’rin was already there. She had just returned from the cafeteria with coffee, when he stuck his head in the door.

“Good morning.” He’d caught her in mid-yawn.

“Good morning, sire.” She replied with a hand in front of her mouth nad started to get up.

“No need,” he held up his hand, “Just picking up the reqs before I head to the dock.”
He paused for a second. “Have you ever been to a spacedock?”

“No. I’ve haven’t even been near one before.”

Perfect   he thought.

“Well then, if you haven’t got anything else on schedule for today, why don’t you join me and we’ll get you some experience around a military ship then?”

[KAT MRess]

<looks at reader count...>

Hmmmm, someone is paying attention.



Her eyes opened very wide. He couldn’t immediately tell if it was alarm or excitement. He headed down the hall and after a brief review of the list of parts and procedures requisitions, he stuffed the PADD into a large pocket.

When he got back to the reception, Tr’rin wasn’t there. He looked around and listened. She was in the bathroom down the hall. So he stood just inside the door and waited. After a few seconds she blew in through the door toward the desk and started typing furiously on the keyboard. Once the message was done she clicked the send started around the desk.

And almost jumped back over the desk when she saw him.

She is rather athletic  he thought.

“You do realize you shouldn’t tell your friends about everything you do here?”

Her ears folded back and her tail twitched in a mix of embarrassment and fear.

“It’s ok for now,” he soothed, “I’m still in dock on leave so it’s no big secret. But don’t let it continue.” The tail stopped and the ears folded out again.

He would definitely have to keep a close eye on her, especially after the last two assistants he had. After all he wasn’t entirely sure who that message went to.

[KAT MRess]

The trip to the docks was uneventful in as far as nothing out of the ordinary happened. But he could tell that Tr’rin had a lot of questions. However, he made the mistake of telling her to feel free to ask him anything she wanted and the resulting barrage of questions were starting to grate on his nerves. Mental note on hiring non-military types, do not open the door to questions.

The refit was proceeding on schedule. The repairs were complete, supplies were being loaded, new crew members were being interred and pre-launch tests were initiated. M’Ress inadvertently directed a Yo’man to Tr’rin for some requisitions and found himself temporarily relieved of her questions. After that he directed all questions through her.

When he got to the Drone Launcher deck, he approached the Gunnery Master to make an inquiry. The sergeant had only been with him a short time as the prior one had retired. Something about “Excessive Drone use.”

“Would you have your list of eligible gunners mates on you?” The Sergeant whipped out a P.A.D.D. and presented it.

“Roight ‘ere sir!” M’Ress scanned the list for a name.

“Would you by any chance have any available spaces for a young enlisted warrior?”

“Are you kiddin’,” the guttural accent was thick from years of NCO duty, “The waitin’ list to serve on the Patriarc’s ship is months long.”

“In that case I have a favour to ask.” One of the eyebrows arched up. M’Ress added a name to the list. “I hear he is in need of some hard training.”

The sergeant looked at the name and then back to M’Ress, who nodded slowly.

“I think a spot jest open’d up sir. Rack numbah 7, I believe.”

Number 7? That was almost too good to be true. That young warrior was about to pay for the insult to his sister.

[KAT MRess]

What? No ratings?

I can't werk under zese conditions...




Ro’gr was shocked.

Not only did his transfer to the Patriarchs ship not get refused, it was accepted!

While he never doubted that he would be accepted, he didn’t expect that it would be so soon. Maybe the waiting list wasn’t as long as he thought. More than likely they saw his credentials and knew immediately that he was needed on this crew. That would make sense, he’d always had an easy time in training. The only reason others finished ahead of him in class was because the teachers didn’t want to offend their influential sires. The shock eased into mild surprise, of course they wanrted him!

So what would it be? Commander? Lieutenant? That way he could bring his influence to the crew on a personal level. On the other hand, they might resent a superior slipping into the crew so easily. It would be better to appear modest. That in itself would be the challenge, handling a crew would be easy. Ensign would suffice.

That Kzinrette would rue the day she turned him away. No one ever did that to him. After all what was there about him not to like?

[KAT MRess]

Since some of you are reading, I'll let you know I won't be able to post for two weeks.
So here is an extra to hold you over...




Instead of a shuttle up into orbit which would have taken over an hour, they used a transporter.

A TRANSPORTER!!!

She had to be the only one in her entire extended family that had ever used one. It was so exciting that she almost forgot her purpose. Once they had rematerialized and the initial excitement wore off, she regained her composure and tried to concentrate on her job.

It was all she could do to keep up with M’Ress. She had never even seen a ship like this before let alone tour one. She had so many questions, they just kept spilling out. She was able to concentrate on her job, whenever a question was directed at M’Ress, she was able to provide the answer quickly and all of it was recorded for reference, but that was the limit. Her curiosity overrode everything else. Despite the little voice screaming to back off the questions they continued to roll off her tongue.

The orders for a transfer were duly recorded and forwarded like everything else. It never dawned on her that this kind of transfer was highly unusual. But then again he WAS the Patriarch, he knew what he was doing.

All the areas of the ship were toured with the bridge left until last. At the site of the control center, the nerve center of such a large ship, she just about lost it completely.

[Braxton_RIP]

What? No ratings?

I can't werk under zese conditions...

Sorry man! System got the axe until the author upgrades it 

5 stars from me though.

[KAT MRess]

tsk, tsk... 2nd page...




Tr’rin was listening to yet another answer about the ship and it’s crew when the door opened. At first she didn’t notice, as her back was partly to the door, so intent was she on the answer. M’ress just paused and waited. When she realized they had arrived she spun quickly around and moved to the side and behind him. M’Ress purposefully stepped off the turbolift and strode forward.

The Yo’man had seen the arrival and given the slight delay caused by her, was ready with the pipes and the command.

“Patriarch on the Bridge!” he bellowed.

To Tr’rin’s eyes it was as if someone flipped a switch. Everything just stopped instantly and everyone snapped to attetnion. She could see M’Ress’s trained eye rove around the room, obviously making a show of inspecting.

“At Ease.” He said “Carry on.” The switch flipped and everything moved again.

It was so busy. Technicians replacing parts, crewman running tests and yet other trying to clean up the mess left behind. Tr’rin stared out of the lift, unable to move, afraid she’d get caught up in the tide.

[Soreyes]

Captain Soreyes pulls into the shipyard for repairs to his DWD "Close To The Edge"   Notices that the Patriarch is in the area.

Oh Crud!!!!!  I hope MRess forgot about that little problem about no MDC's being in the yards during Storm Season

[KAT MRess]

<pokes head into room>
hmmmm someone is paying attention...


want more?

[Talon]

um yeah....





Talon

[Soreyes]

More Please

[KAT MRess]

My apologies for the lateness, real life has been hectic and work has been shorthanded.

I also just found out my cousin in Afghanistan (Yes there is still a war going on there too) was wounded in the line of duty. The good news is, it's not serious, but it did require a whole bunch of stitches and will leave a nasty mark. This occured with a month left in his tour of duty. The better news is, he will be home soon safe and sound.

So with that in mind...




A few days into the mission was all it took for things to settle. Tr’rin had to split her regular duties with the Yo’man in order to get things done. She needed the connections on board, he needed her expertise in organizing. Normally he just forwarded everything (to Tr’rin of course) and made sure the Patriarch had what he needed. But now she was there and they were able to action things much faster.

In those few days Tr’rin also learned about the operation of a warship. The 2am attack drills, the snap inspections, but mostly the regulations and why they existed. She used to think that military types were rigid and stuck up, not any more. She was fast learning the meaning behind it all and a new respect and understanding was emerging. It was one thing to be told, it was something else entirely to experience it. While she was not expected to uphold military standards (being a civilian and all), she was fast learning how to not upset the ebb and flow of the ship. She was even developing a sense of “feel” for the ship.

She did not dine or socialize with the crew. Not so much as she didn’t want to. It was more a case of the entirely male crew didn’t want to. Either they considered it bad luck or a Career Limiting Move to fraternize with what technically belonged to the Patriarch. So she ate in his dining area with him and whoever he had invited that night. Any spare time she had (and there was a lot as she had no assigned duties on board) was spent in her cabin, which was right next to his, reading more military guides or following up on the days business.

After a few days, her greatest onboard enemy reared it's head.

Boredom.

[Capt Jeff]

sorry  to hear about your couzin.

But, Happy B-Day to you !!!

And many more 

[KAT MRess]

Thanks for the B-day wishes all, it was a quiet one this year... last year was the milestone, more on that later.




A few days was also the time needed to break in new crew and equipment. The mission wasn’t to the front line, any front line for that matter, not yet at any rate. It was mainly escort duty to supply the Stars End bar with some of the necessary supplies the Kzinti Government agreed to. Escorts were always necessary because of the Pirates (Memories of Redbeard…). But they would be passing close to several other territories on the way which warranted extra ships on the escort.

Most important on the list were the drone drills. This was vital to the capability of any Kzin ship, especially a specialized ship such as the MDC. M’Ress had made it a point this time around to check Soreyes schedule to make sure he wouldn’t be requisitioning one soon. For some reason he appeared to be staying away from the shipyards recently. M”Ress would have to ask him about that. Tr’rin again proved her worth not only in processing this request with no explanations, but was able to expedite them all in minimal time.

As with any “Shakedown” there were always glitches and gremlins to be worked out. It was inevitable as all the new circuits and machinery involved needed to be broken in and adjusted to perfection. Some times even though the parts passed trials and inspections, they still managed to burn out with relatively little usage. The trick was weeding out those parts and getting the properly functional ones installed and run in.

The next problem was training the new crew members. Another inevitability in war. It actually made it easier to train these crew when you had them install the parts before use. That was a definite benefit as they would have a better understanding of the mechanics before they even attempted to utilize the system. It definitely helped to know the system before you learned how to manipulate it.


Despite all these tried and proven procedures, and the very competent Gunnery Master, that #7 Drone launcher was still uncharacteristically far behind in drill times. He hoped that time would work it out, but he would look in later to see what the problem was. Right now he had other things to worry about, he trusted the Gunnery Master to take care of the issue for now.

M’Ress had some… “unfinished business” at Stars End. A certain bar owner had something he wanted.

[Soreyes]

 

[KAT MRess]

<quietly looks around for a certain pink frocked Gorn…>

Ok, it’s safe.



M’Ress recalled the last... uhhh… “encounter” he had with the notorious diva. While he hadn’t actually interacted, in fact the closest he got was an “obstructed” view of the more than ample posterior (thank the maker for the shielded sunglasses), he did have a large affect on the “negotiations”. He had no desire to revisit that memory. But unfortunately he had did have a need to find out what happened to that disk.

Unfortunately the whole issue was clouded by the involvement of his former assistant, as beautiful as she was (despite the voice), she was also very deadly and quite inconvenient. Once he got past her interference, he should be able to track down what happened to the data that everyone wanted to get their hands on.

He looked at his chronometer. Damn these sub warp, transport ships. He had another week to wait. He summoned Tr’rin, at the very least she was a pleasant sight, something pretty to look at in the middle of all this military masculinity. He could also amuse himself watching his crew ogle her while trying to hide it and simultaneously execute their duties.

He could even enjoy his new ship for a while.

[KAT MRess]

She sat back from the mirror and heaved an exasperated sigh.

Things had not turned out the way she wanted. After signing on to a work contract that promised a good return for a 6 month term, she had put a lot of her future on the line by investing her modest savings to make the trip from Lyr. Judging by the results of that decision, she figured she had annoyed the fates at some point in her life because they seemed to pick this time to conspire against her now.

It turns out that someone had anticipated too much on someone else. After they had arrived the contract was revoked due to past due dates and improper authority. “Promises made by one who did not have the authority.”

Management was not unsympathetic. They didn’t just cut everyone lose or dump them on the first cargo ship off the station, but they had no room or means to help either. The deal was, it would be up to them to earn a living from the private sector on the station, and Management would provide discounted accommodations to help them get enough credits back to where they came from.

Pk’zyy had fared better than most, mainly due to her shapely figure and long lush red-tinged fur. Due to these attributes she made an ideal sales rep, promoter or receptionist. Problem was no-one wanted any long term employees at this time, so she relied on the temporary work to get her by. She was able to build credits from this kind of work, but it was slow going and already well past the initial 6 months she was to originally stay here.

The latest job however was promising. It seemed to speed up her rate of savings and the hours were flexible. It also wasn’t overly humiliating, if only she didn’t have to put up with the constants fights. Like the really bad one a little ago that had started between some Kzin (who seemed to be spoiling for a fight) and some of her regular Lyran customers. During the course of the brawl not only had she been able to continue doing her job, she had actually been able to distract one of those annoying Kzin and help a rather well built Lyran.

She finished her ministrations stood up and made sure the rest of her was presentable. Then she hefted her small duffle bag and headed out to work, out past the retail shops and the shipping bays.

Past the work areas and into the door with the pink glowing neon signs.

[KAT MRess]

Sorry folks, I've been on a bit of a vacation for the last two weeks and I'm a little behind.

I'll be getting another installment up soon, though.

Isn't there a server going on right now? It's rather flattering that I'm getting so many hits on the story, but I'm sure you'd rather be blowing each other up.



So what do you think does M'Ress wind up with? Tr'rin, Kayleen or Pk'zyy (Why do youthink she was introduced?)

And no there is no J'inn/Kroma twist. I know some of you are disappointed at that...

[KAT MRess]

Whoops! I forgot... I write these things ahead of time for editing purposes. Here's your next one...




The Katnip LIV slid through the edge of the Nebula.

Even though he hated the disruptions the gases and matter created with his systems, it was necessary. M’Ress had to take what limited readings they could to ensure the safety of the convoy. Anything big enough to be detected in that mass of cloud was enough to be a threat. Anything less could be safety disregarded.

It was only two days out from the rendezvous with the convoy, but things were already getting tedious. Business as usual during escort, taking the time to scan all possibilities and adjusting to all course changes. What was worse, the sub-warp engines of the transports. Normally he would have been there by now, but these ships… their slowness was why they needed escorting. He could fly circles around them (sometimes he did), but it did enable him to move around quickly to check everything (literally...everything. It kept the crews busy) while they plodded along.

What was more disconcerting was the lack of improvement from Drone rack #7. It still lagged seriously behind the others. He would assign the issue to his Exec and see if that helped, before he had to step in.

His immediate attention was suddenly divided by two things. First, an intelligence report that a Lyran cruiser had been detected in the area. This was unusual as this was a shipping lane away from any of their interests. It would be worthwhile to keep that in mind as they exited the edge of the Nebula.

The second thing that demanded his attention was that Tr’rin had arrived unannounced on the bridge. She didn’t yet understand the need for permission to enter the bridge yet, even though she was the Patriarchs assistant. She also hadn’t reached the understanding that these warriors did not spend much time around females. And her outfit today was particularly… form fitting. He couldn’t help but notice himself.

Fortunately he didn’t have much time to be caught leering. At that moment the Navigator spoke up in a loud official voice.

“Unidentified vessel detected Sire!”

[SSCF-LeRoy]

M’Ress recalled the last... uhhh… “encounter” he had with the notorious diva. While he hadn’t actually interacted, in fact the closest he got was an “obstructed” view....

And, as I recall, I was the "obstruction" that you provided for yourself in that case Maybe I'll finally figure out what's so damned important about that disk you made me wrestle the Gorn-o-phile for

[KAT MRess]

EDITED FOR CONTENT...


 

[KAT MRess]

Hee hee, you still remember that.

I could always repost the entire story to remind everyone else...

[Soreyes]

Hee hee, you still remember that.

I could always repost the entire story to remind everyone else...

     please do

[KAT MRess]

Decisions, decisions...

To flash back the story here...

Or to start a new thread altogether.

[KAT MRess]

Hmm, I know what I can do...




“What do you mean Unidentified?” M’Ress demanded. “Does it not have a subspace transponder?”

In Wartime it was common for ships to not immediately broadcast their ID’s, especially on covert missions. But this was peacetime. Everyone should be readily identifiable.

“No Sire.” Came the response, “There is no recognizable transmission from the vessel.”

“On screen” The display came to life with a display 2 dimensional display of all the ships in the area. The cluster in the bottom right was the convoy and their escort, while a single blip appeared in the top left. It was definitely on an intercept course.

Damn strange. As he pondered the possibilities, he realized everyone else was paying attention to the situation. Tr’rin was now standing behind his chair, holding the back, gazing at the viewscreen as she was truly seeing it in use for the first time. He had to give his crew credit, as distracting as her presence was, they were able to set it aside and give their full attention to a possible threat while still carrying out their responsibilities.

On the screen, the smaller lone blip moved slowly closer to his position.

“Can you get a visual?”

The tactical officer acknowledged the request and moved his hands across the console. The unknown was still at long range, with residual interference from the Nebula he may not be able to. M’ress waited patiently.

“Visual coming in sire.”

The top right of the screen opened up a new view. It was grainy and the ship itself was small, but the dual hull was unmistakable.

Lyran.

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress swore to himself. Behind him, Tr’rin’s ears twitched and her eyes widened at the ferocity of the oath.

The detail was difficult to make out, even the size was tough to gauge due to the fact there was nothing to compare to. They couldn’t even discern markings at this distance.

“Can you get a fix on the size of that vessel.” He asked the Tactical officer.

“Working…” came the reply. M’Ress had to give then some time to work as all the sensors were still battling the residual interference from the Nebula. After several seconds the reply came… “Mass indicates the vessel is a Light Cruiser, however I’m having trouble locking in the exact class.”

That was to be expected as the image was poor at best.

But the main question was why were they flying with no beacon? And why were Lyrans in this area close to the Kzin border?

“Sire, incoming transmission from the Convoy. They are requesting your intentions toward the intruder.” So they noticed it as well.

Regardless of intent, he had to protect the convoy.

“Helm move to intercept.”

[KAT MRess]

“Take a direct course and get us away from the Nebula so we can get a clearer picture.”

Tr’rin quietly cursed herself for the bad timing. She had come to the bridge simply because she was bored, only to find herself in the middle of a developing situation. The ship that had appeared did not look friendly and she recognized the race. Lyrans. The age old traditional enemies of the Kzin.

Although back in the office there were pictures of M’Ress with certain Lyrans (he had defended their Homeworld in a previous War against a mutual enemy), they had never come to amicable terms. Indeed relations were still strained at best.

This was all confirmed by the oath that she heard come out of M’Ress’s mouth. She’d had heard bad language before, but never quite that venomous. She quickly debated leaving the bridge to let everyone do their jobs but found herself rooted to the spot out of some kind of morbid fascination.

“And Helm, make sure you keep a distance between us and them.” M”Ress was saying, “I don’t want that damned Generator touching us.”

“Aye aye Sire.”

[KAT MRess]

I'm gone for a week... enjoy.





The distance between the two ships closed slowly. Whoever it was, they were in no hurry.

“Comm, try to hail them. Use Standard code and the Secure ones we know of. ”

There were several beeps followed by silence. Then the process was repeated.

“No response sire.” Damn!

“I don’t like this at all,” M’Ress said under his breath, only loud enough for those closest to hear.

“Yellow alert.” was the immediate response from his Exec, who was one who did hear. Normally he would cut the Exec off for “Jumping the Gun”, but this situation did warrant that reaction.

The activity on the bridge increased causing Tr’rin’s claws to clamp into the back of M’Ress’s command chair. More screens flashed on, coloured lights flashed and troops appeared around the bridge. She tried to make sure she was out of the way.

Combat?! Her timing really was bad.

[KAT MRess]

“Comm, issue a warning not to approach. Any closer to us or the convoy and they will be fired upon.”

The communication officer relayed the command, but was met with silence.

“Repeat the warning.”

Again no response. The Cruiser still continued it’s course closer.

“If that’s the way you want it, then no more Mr Nice Kzin,” M’Ress said to no one in particular “Tactical, Red Alert! And warm up the Scatter packs!”

This time the reaction was more explosive. Yellow alert merely changed lights, added some troops and some screens, but Red Alert was far more drastic. First off a loud klaxon sounded seemingly right in Tr’rin’s ears, causing Tr’rin to start more than a little. Her claws dug into the chair even more, her ears flattened right back and her tail started to twitch so bad she couldn’t control it. At the same time more screens lit up, activity exploded as everyone seemed to start talking at once and consoles started to make even more noise and flash even more. All of this emphasized by the lights dimming down.

The sharp tug on the back of his chair reminded M’Ress that she was still there. He turned to tell her to go back to her cabin, but at that moment all hell broke loose.

[KAT MRess]

Hey, I got to typing and I was on a roll ... so here is a bonus for you.




Several events happened in rapid succession so fast Tr’rin could barely comprehend what occurred.

The ship on the screen flashed briefly, seemingly in an explosion of energy. Almost at the same time it leapt forward so fast it seemed to be in two places at once. One was where it was supposed to be and the other impossibly close.

So close it could touch them with all that crackling energy.

In the few brief moments between the energy pulse and the sudden movement, M’Ress was barking commands, something to do with launching and firing. Then her entire world seemed to lurch from under her and she unwillingly let go the chair.

*****

The instant M’Ress saw the flash out of the corner of his eye, he knew what was happening.

“Launch scatterpack! Fire all drones!” was all he could get out before the ESG hit.

The ship surged violently to the side as the Lyrans sphere collided with his shields. He was thrown out of his chair by the motion. The Lyran captain must have set the Sphere to close range, anticipating being able to execute this manoeuvre judging by how much damage was inflicted. Proximity alerts and shield alarms were immediately sounded.

“Shields down!” came the confirmation from the Tac officer.

“Where are my drones?!” M’Ress demanded as he made his way back across the deck to his chair.

“6 drones away sire!”

Kshat, 6 won’t be enough!

“Target that generator with phasers and fire the moment the shield drops!” he bellowed above the noise at the weapons officer then turned to the tactical, “Status on the Scatterpack and where’s my last drone?!”

[KAT MRess]

“Scatterpack away! Drone number 7 launching now!”

Number 7? By the maker he would have someone’s hide for this.

Another surge sent him reeling again, this time in the other direction, as streaks of light from the Lyran ship cut into them. M’Ress was flung face first against his chair, but he was able to get a grip on it and hold on. Something collided with the back of his knees almost sending him down again. Even more alarms were sounding.

A bright light from the screen indicated that the first of the drones were making contact with the other ship. In rapid succession there were 6 explosions, however the shimmer of the others ships shield was still there.

M’ress couldn’t wait for the shield to drop, he needed to get through that shield. “Fire all phasers.” he ordered above the cacophony on the bridge.

Immediately streaks of light came from the Katnip. Most were dissipated on the shimmer but the last few made in and hit various points on the hull of the other ship. An explosion larger than the rest registered. A last trail of ions made it’s way quickly in and scored an ineffective hit on the hull as the area was already dark from phaser fire.

[KAT MRess]

Another pulse from the Lyran ship and the Katnip surged again. Consoles and panels exploded around him on the bridge.

A couple more flashes from the Katnips remaining phasers and another explosion erupted from the other hull. The pulse died away.

“Warp power down!” “Main computer offline!” “Outer hull breach!” came the rapid reports.

Just then another flash of light filled the screen.

“Scatterpack away!” was the response from the Tac officer.

Finally, something in his favour. With 6 secondary drones bearing in on the side with no shield at this range, it was unlikely that the other captain could counter it.

M’ress was having trouble standing as something was wrong with his legs. Experience told him to ignore it for now so he focused on the screen.

“Helm, full impulse! Get some distance!”

Time seemed to slow as the wave of drones bore down. The distance between the two ships increased with agonizing slowness.

The drones passed the energy perimeter and crept on.

They made contact with the hull

They exploded in succession, all in the same location. Each one ripping further into the hull.

[KAT MRess]

The resulting explosion caught the Katnip full on, but at least it was on the opposite shield, which was at full strength. The Helmsman not only maximized the distance but managed to turn the ship to take the brunt of the impact on a fresh shield.

Once again the Katnip surged. Normally the inertial dampeners would have compensated and made a smooth ride, but with main systems offline, it was chaos. It was all M’Ress could do to hold on to his chair. As a result he was the only one standing when it all settled.

He looked at the screen, which amazingly was still active, where there was only debris left.

“Secure from Red Alert.” he said through clenched teeth and keeping his eye on the screen just in case something else appeared. Also because he didn’t want to look down at his legs, “Damage assessment and repair crews.”

There was a pause before the Tac officer answered.

“Aye aye sire”

He looked over and saw that his Exec was down near the Tac officer. As he quickly looked around the rest of the bridge, he saw that several others were down as well. He reached over and touched the console on the arm of his chair.

“Medical teams to the bridge.”

As he scanned the bridge he could see that consoles were in ruins and panels were non-existent. Small fires were being extinguished by some of the bridge crew while others helped the wounded. With the entire crew accounted for and active on duties, he finally ventured a look down at his legs.

A still form, bleeding and unconscious was lying between his legs, limbs tangling his own.

It was Tr’rin.

[KAT MRess]

What was he thinking!

Bringing a civilian on a warship when peace was still not established. He would have to explain this to her family if something seriously happened to her. He carefully removed his legs from her entanglement and bent over her. He cradled her head in one hand while he checked on her. She was still breathing, thank the maker for that, but she was bleeding from a gash on her head.

He sat knelt down on the deck beside her and straightened her out gently. From the movement of her limbs nothing appeared to be broken and there were no other sign of trauma.

Just then the medical teams arrived on the bridge. He was about to hail one over but bit off the request. He must follow protocol. She was not military and therefore the crew had to take precedent.

Fortunately the Med crew was very efficient. It only took a minute for them to quickly triage the ones who were down. Upon a command from the lead medic the bridge marines were engaged to take the more serious ones to the medbay, the exec included. It was then that he saw M’ress kneeling over the figure, gently holding her head.

“Who’s this?” Medic asked.

“My personal assistant.” A quick glance from the medic showed his disapproval, but that was all.

“Let’s take a look.” A triage scanner was passed over her.

“Hmmmm. Only a light contusion to the head here, she’s lucky. She’ll have a headache for a while but that’s it.” He cleaned up the gash on the side of her head and then administered an analgesic. “She’ll sleep for a while.”

The medic motioned for a marine, but M’Ress interrupted.

“Belay that. I’ll take care of her.” He glared back at the medic quietly answering his disapproval, “She’s entirely my responsibility.”

The medic seemed satisfied with that. After all he didn’t really have the bedspace to care for civilians.

[Soreyes]

More More

[odb]

In the hands of the light, how much does it cost to say on riza?
                                                                Hemah

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress crouched down and picked her up. She was much smaller than a marine or any male for that matter and so he hefted her easily. He carried her to the turbo lift and then down the hallway to her quarters.

Just outside her doorway, however, he was stopped by repair crews. The lead engineer saw his approach and snapped to attention with the hand coming up in a raking salute.

“I’m sorry sire,” he began to report “but the passageway ahead is impassable. There is a hull breach in that cabin.” And he motioned to Tr’rins cabin.

“Thank you, Sergeant.” M’ress looked back down the passage. There was only one choice now. He headed back to his own cabin.

He had some difficulty opening the door as voice systems were down and he needed a free hand to open the lock on the door. But he managed it by hiking her higher up his shoulder. Once inside he eased her onto the bed, arranging her so she was comfortable. The medic said she would sleep for a while so he now could attend to what he needed to.

He was angry. He pulled out the bottle of bourbon he kept, for medicinal purposes, and swallowed a belt. Not too much, he needed to stay sober, but the burn helped him focus. That battle should not have happened. So many things went wrong. Nothing against protocols, but wrong nonetheless. If only…

The thought struck him hard. If he had given her the command to return to her cabin, she would have been dead. Even worse, she would have been pulled into space and he would have had nothing to return to her family. That took a lot of the sting out of the situation. Still, her she was, injured. But she might not have been if everything had executed properly, which brought him back to the events of the battle.

He stalked out the door. He was still angry. But now he had a target to vent on. One that would rightly deserve the wrath he was about to vent.

[KAT MRess]

The turbo lift hummed as it moved to it’s destination. It took a longer than usual, but considering the damage the ship had just absorbed it was not at all surprising. It also gave him a little more time to review the battle in his mind. One detail kept standing out.

Drone #7.

Why didn’t it launch with the others?

IF the drone had launched properly, he wouldn’t have wasted phasers on the shield. Those phasers would have been used properly to target phaser and ESG emitters. If the shields had dropped before he fired phasers, the proper threats would have been neutralized and the second ESG wouldn’t have caused so much damage. As is was, #7 was completely ineffective as it neither tore down a shield or inflicted significant damage. It was only the proper timing of the Scatterpack that saved them. That and the fact the Lyran captain had incorrectly ignored the shuttle. Two pieces of luck that could not be relied on.

The turbo slowed. By now he was seething again, but he had to maintain some semblance of control. He clenched his hand into a fist in an effort to focus his control.

The door hissed open and he stepped out into the hall. Turning along the length of the passage he headed to the drone racks.

The door to the drone bays was damaged in an open position and he could see in before he arrived. Several crews were attending the various levels of damage. The Port side had sustained more damage as they had turned the take the explosion on the fresh shield.

#7 was a centrally located rack and therefore had little damage. But as he approached a figure he did not recognize immediately, detached, dropping a tool in the process, and moved toward him.

“I’m glad you’re…”, it never finished as a clenched fist flashed out.

The fist caught the figure in the jaw and spun him around to face the opposite direction. The figure then slid to the floor unconscious.

[KAT MRess]

M’ress glared at all the activity around him. Completely ignoring the prone figure on the floor he surveyed the damage. Eventually his eye fixed on rack  #7 where a familiar older Kzin was supervising the inspection of the launcher.

“Report!” he bellowed. One head from each rack turned, however, only the one he was looking at responded. Immediately the sergeant moved over and snapped a salute.

“Rack #7 reports minor damage, but still…” M’Ress cut him off.

“Cut the offal, what happened? Why did your rack not fire with the rest?”

He had to give this Sergeant credit, the return stare was level and even. It was still a nervous stare (his pelt rippled) but it was steady.

“The targeting mechanism needed resetting before launch, Sire”

“Targeting mech? That is the responsibility of the Targeting officer, unless I am mistaken.” The sergeant nodded, he knew better than to contradict his Captain, let alone the Patriarch. He was also becoming aware that his commanding officer already suspected the cause of the misfire and was merely verifying.

M’Ress drew in a sharp breath. “That targeting officer wouldn’t happen to be new and recently of my acquaintance would he?”

The sergeants eyes flicked down toward the inert form on the deck. “Yes Sire, a very brief acquaintance.” At least he wasn’t contradicting or disagreeing.

“Very well, carry on.” The sergeant turned and continued the minor repairs.

M’Ress gave one last visual inspection before he turned. In order for the targeting mechanism needing to be reset, standing procedures on not locking targets until the order to fire was given, had to be disregarded.  He moved rapidly toward the door and in the process, kicked the prone figure on the floor.

“Would someone clean up this mess?” he gestured at the floor and then left.

[KAT MRess]

Is it just me or has this become one of the most popular threads on this board?

It appears to be about number 15 on the all time list (by number of reads), behind only technical threads (reporting and updates).

I'm flattered everyone. Thanks.



Stay tuned, I figured a way to have a "flashback" as requested.

[Soreyes]

Well at least it's not as bad as my disrupter crew on my DF. They couldn't hit a planet with overloads at a range of 2

I guess thats why they are the Fleet Poker Champs.

[KAT MRess]

Ro’gr opened his eyes, that was his first mistake. The pain that throbbed through his head immediately made him close them again. What was worse, was the pain seemed cycle from the back of his head to his jaw and back again, making brief stops in the backs of his eyes.

A vague memory of something colliding with his jaw explained that pain. The explosions from the battle explained the eyes aching, he’d never seen such bright ones like that before. But the back of his head? That puzzled him.

Slowly he opened his eyes again. As the light around coalesced into shapes he recognized the ceiling of the drone launching bay. Immediately it became apparent that he was lying on the floor. He tried to sit up and failed. But the motion caught the attention of someone. A face appeared above him.

“That’ll teach ya not to speak unless spoken to.”

The face matched that of the older sergeant who was in charge of the crew manning the launcher. Ro’gr recalled having an argument with him before the battle about his targeting procedure.

The ‘tosh just wouldn’t listen to reason. How could it be more efficient to target by not locking until the fire command? No matter what reason he used, the sergeant just would not accept any change in procedure. He even tried to pull rank over the sergeant. Technically, he was the superior officer. But even that was resisted by quoting some other regulation. He finally gave up arguing and vowed to take it up with their superior.

He rubbed his jaw and glared at the sergeant, who stared evenly back.

“You are to report to the Med bay immediately and then to the bridge in one hour.” The sergeant said.

[KAT MRess]

Out of the Drone bay, M’Ress toured around the rest of the ship personally receiving the damage reports. Normally he would have received them on the bridge through his XO, but he needed to walk off his rage.

He was angry. Angry at himself for his shortsightedness in the battle, why hadn’t he seen the battle before it happened like he usually did? Anger at the weapons officer, for changing procedure without proper authorization. Anger at the Lyran, for the unwarranted attack.

The damage was centered on the port side as he knew, but good fortune had paid a visit by not affecting the structural integrity of the main body, however, the pylon of the port nacelle had taken the brunt of the ESG. The rest of the systems were also a mess, with just about everything else affected. The port nacelle was functional and still supplying power, but without the structural stability from the pylon, warp speed was out of the question. They would be limited to impulse for a while, until they could stabilize the nacelle and then balance the warp field.

The number of casualties was also alarmingly high. Because of the large area affected, several bulkheads had ruptured. While losses were to be expected, it always affected him to read that list. Especially, when names he readily recognized appeared. A few of them had served under him for a while and would be hard to replace. While this initially served to fuel the anger, it melted into introspection and he was able to regain his poise.

Next on his list was the meeting with the Weapons officer responsible for the misfire.

[FPF-Paladin]

(Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to say this is currently as close to a sci-fi novel I'm interesting in reading, would love to see more    )

[KAT MRess]

M’ress was not happy as he waited for the Weapons Officer to arrive in his ready room. Already he was two minutes late.

After he had summoned his Exec and appraised him of the meeting, he had sent off a couple of preliminary reports. The Exec saw to executing the necessary orders to allocate the resources to the correct areas of the ship. All of this occupied their time until the meeting was supposed to take place. The last thing he did was to pull up the report from the Academy on this officer.

Both of them sat and stewed until the anticipated doorchime signalled the arrival. The Officer did not wait for the guard to show him in and immediately walked in.

“Sire, I wish to…” was all he got out before the Exec sprang out of his chair, hitting him squarely in the midsection with a textbook tackle takedown. The struggle was very brief, the officer seemed to have very little, if any, alertness about him. The Exec was able to not only catch him by surprise, but also was able to flip him over and apply a hold. With the Exec virtually sitting on his chest with an elaborate chokehold cutting off his air, Rog’r could do nothing.

M’Ress watched the action with an interested eye. He had cold cocked the young officer in the Weapons bay, but it was obvious he had been caught off guard. Now, even with the threat of an audience with a senior officer, he STILL was not on guard and offered almost no resistance. He also really needed to work on the respect thing of not speaking out of turn. He let the struggle continue until he could see the young officers eyes start to bulge.

“Enough. Let him up.”

The Exec, released the hold and the younger officer slumped to the floor. As the young officer gasped for air, he grabbed his scalp and tilted the head up to face him.

“Do NOT speak until you are addressed.” He said evenly.

[KAT MRess]

Rog’r rubbed his aching throat. The last thing he expected when entering a meeting was to be attacked. He had heard that discipline on military ships was strict, but he had always dismissed the stories as exaggerations of the imaginative minds of old soldiers. The thought was beginning to take hold that they may not have been exaggerating.

The one who attacked him backed off to stand at the end of the desk. Rog’r slowly stood up and moved opposite the other Officer behind the desk. That Officer, the one who had entered the weapons bay, was looking at him with an expression he had never seen before. It seemed to be anger and curiosity mixed together.

He opened his mouth to speak but immediately thought better of it. With a sideways glance at the Exec he moved toward the available chair and swivelled it to sit.

“You were not given permission to sit.” came the cold, hard voice of the standing officer. “Didn’t they teach you at the academy, STAND at attention until told otherwise?”

Rog’r took his hand off the chair and remained standing. By now the seated Officer was leaning forward with folded hands under his chin, that lone eye still staring at him.

*****

M’Ress stared hard at this young officer. Was he really THAT ignorant?

First he ignores established weapons protocol. Then he speaks when his input is not requested. And now he presumes to sit when other more senior officers are standing?

Did he even realize this a discipline hearing and not a meeting? He finally broke his gaze and read the last part of the entry on the young officers file. Two words stuck out.

IGNORANTLY ARROGANT.

[KAT MRess]

Arrogant.

No wonder his younger sister had been so angry with him. But aside from any personal grudges he may have felt, the more immediate problem was the actions of this young officer during the recent battle. It was downright insubordinate to disregard protocol. Even worse to complicate it with his outbursts.

His eye narrowed as the officer squirmed.

“Do you know why you are here?” he asked in a flat voice.

“To file my report on the disobedience of my crew.”

It was all M’ress could do to keep a straight face. Anger, disbelief and even some confusion suddenly welled up inside him. He paused for a few seconds to make sure he had control before he cut a glance over to the Exec.

The Exec was downright ready to kill. M’ress could see the restraint he was exerting. The flexing of the muscles, the faint ripple of his pelt all displayed the rage that was surging. It must have taken more effort than he was exerting to keep control.

“And who told you that?”

The officer was still rubbing the circulation back into his throat. He voice was a little stronger when he replied.

“No-one. I just assumed that was why I was called after the Drone Rack misfired.”

[KAT MRess]

If M’ress thought it couldn’t have gotten worse, he was just proven wrong.

He had seen the performance and trajectory of the drone. He had also seen the condition of the rack for himself. He also had the first hand report of the trusted crew chief. There was no possibility that the rack misfired. This officer was either completely ignorant or trying to cover up his own blunder by blaming the crew. What was indisputable was the fact the targeting mech needing resetting, the weapons log confirmed that.

Problem was, which was it? Ignorance or clever politicing.

Since he had been able to surprise this officer twice in just over an hour, he decided it was ignorance. His sisters opinion seemed to also confirm it. He unfolded his hands and sat back.

“You are not here to file a report. You are here to answer charges of insubordination. This is a disciplinary hearing.”

Rog’r opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by a very menacing growl from the Exec. One thing he was learning is if those around here didn’t approve of something you did, they were VERY capable of making you pay for it.

M’Ress was actually a little surprised at the restraint finally shown by this junior officer. He waited for further reaction, but did not get it.

[KAT MRess]

The rest of the hearing went as could be expected. Rog’r was completely devastated. Not only was it laid out why his actions placed the ship in jeopardy, but his further disobedience by speaking out of turn.

As the Federation would put it, he was read the “Riot Act” in long excruciating detail. When given the chance to explain himself he asked a simple question.

“Why do we wait for the command to fire before we lock the target?”

To be perfectly honest it was a reasonable question. However, the answer could have been obtained from the Operations manual or ANY crew chief. And from all reports he never gave his crew chief chance to talk, only listen (He was also briefed on the necessity of LISTENING to a more experienced Crew chief).

M’Ress allowed the Exec to explain the intricacies of the limitations of the onboard drone computer. In a cost saving measure, the computer was small, only able to process ten seconds of tracking data. This allows them to produce more drones with less resources. If the tracking is set too early before launch, there is too much data for it to handle and the drone loses it’s tracking and therefore control. There didn’t seem to be any necessity in explaining a rogue drone.

Therefor, it was a Standing Protocol on any KAT Fleet Ship (and later KOTH) that drone targets are not locked in until the launch command is given. This also has the added benefit of reducing faulty targeting. This protocol is outlined in the Weapons Officer Operations manual he was given when he came on board and should have been followed. Especially after several days of drills before the battle.

He was given 1 week of confinement to quarters (the brig was destroyed) to get intimately acquainted with that manual.

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress returned to his cabin. The hearing with the weapons officer had made him uncomfortable. It was bad enough he was second guessing the decision to take on this officer, but it was also making him feel uncomfortably not-confident in other decisions. The nagging spectre of doubt was something he could not afford.

The damage reports were now complete and while it wasn’t extensive, the right areas had been hit to force them to sublight for a while. If it had been any worse it would have been critical, so while he would classify the damage as serious, it was repairable.

The door to his quarters hissed open. Tr’rin was still asleep. The sedative would keep her that way for a while.

He opened a compartment and took out two bottles. One was a bottle of 2% milk, the other an old friend from Earth, Jimmy Beam. Equal portions of both in a highball glass, he sat in the chair behind his desk and proceeded to scan more reports. It wasn’t long before he had trouble absorbing the data as he relaxed after the adrenalin wore off. He mixed another drink and sipped it a couple of times before he drifted off.

He was still there several hours later when Tr’rin awoke.

[KAT MRess]

The light grew out of nothing. A very faint light, but it was enough.

She became aware of her surroundings. They were warm and comfortable and she felt lightly rested. Without opening her eyes she stretched and purred. Immediately her hands met something solid as they extended past her head. No matter, she arched her back, pointed her toes and flexed her arms.

That’s when the pain started. What started as a dull ache in the side of her head quickly spread to a raging throb throughout.

OW! she thought as she put her hands to her head and slowly sat up. The fading images in her mind jumbled together and she couldn’t make sense out of them. She dismissed them as dreams.

Then she opened her eyes.

M’Ress awoke when she stretched and purred. Now THAT is a nice sound. he thought and quickly realized who and what it was. He opened his eye and looked the figure in the dim light. It was stretched across his bed with it’s back arched, prominently outlining it’s figure in the dim light. After a minute of stretching the curvy silhouette lifted it’s hands to the head and started to sit up.

M’Ress smiled. Not the Earthlike toothy grin with the corners of the mouth upraised, but a proper Kzin Smile, ears forward, lips parted, and tongue slightly out.

“How are you?” He asked.

[KAT MRess]

Tr’rin stopped and stared at him. The pain in her head made it hard to focus but she was able to make out M’Ress. She looked at him and blinked to try and clear some of the fog. The pain made it hard to sit up straight, so she sank back down on the bed.

BED?!?!

How did she wind up in HIS bed?

She tried to fight the emotions that were also rising up, but the pain in her head made the whole thing unbearable. Just then remembrance came back and some of the images burst into memory. Confusion and pain won out and she broke into tears.

M’Ress saw this coming, he could see the tears welling up before they hit. It was the same for anyone after experiencing their first battle, more so for civilians. He stood up and took a small hand towel from beside the grooming area. He handed it over to her.

Tr’rin had balled up against the far wall of the bed. He spoke softly to her and she took the towel gingerly. That was good. It meant she wasn’t afraid of him, just confused. He sat back down and waited patiently for the flood of questions that was about to come.

[SSCF-LeRoy]

Excellent writing so far. Keep up the good work

[KAT MRess]

Ah yes... Leroy <evil grin>... you may regret asking for a recap earlier....






“What just happened?”

“You just woke up and I handed you a towel.” He wasn’t being sarcastic, a lot had happened and he was just trying to figure out the best place to start. He was about to continue when she cut him off.

“I meant before that!” she spat. “What happened up there… on the stairs… landing...” she was very upset and as a result, very confused.

“Bridge?” he offered

“Yeah… the bridge! What happened? What was all that about?”

M’Ress sighed and stood up. He moved over to the food dispenser and pulled another glass, explaining as he went.

“To explain Everything… would probably take days. Since we will only have a few hours until repairs are complete. I’ll attempt to condense it.” He sat at the desk and mixed another, considerably weaker, drink for her.

“Here drink this, it’ll help.” As she went to tip the milk down in one gulp, he held up his hand. “Slowly… only sip it.”

She slowed and gingerly took a sip and immediately winced at the burn that she was unaccustomed to.

[Soreyes]

 

[KAT MRess]

It was not the first time he’d had to explain the overall situation. The problem was he had to explain some history in order for someone to understand why they were in this position.

“The conflict between Kzin and Lyrans goes back many generations as you know. Each claim to be the “Superior” race. Each has it’s reasons to believe it so, and each has it’s detractors. To fully understand you would have to go back through history and make a complete research project out of it. For now, let’s just say we hate each other for plenty of reasons.

“As a military commander however, I am more interested in the strategic reasons for advancing my own people and protecting them. Lyrans are the closest and biggest threat to that.” He paused to take a sip of his own drink. She took another as well and didn’t flinch anywhere near as much as before.

“However, suffice to say some have … personal… reasons that go beyond the usual. In the past, despite our hatred, we had formed a temporary alliance to fight off a mutual enemy. Despite the fact that there is generations of hatred, some of us have a healthy respect for their warriors, such as Kzinbane. While some others feel we should have let them die off, some of us chose the high road to be better.”

His eye seemed to focus somewhere else, as his hand absently reached up to caress the side of his head where the other eye used to be.

“Despite our differences some of us took it upon ourselves to defend our hated allies. Hoping to bridge the gap and make peace for the better good for all. We protected them as we would our own. And when they faltered, we paid the price and willingly made our sacrifices on their behalf.” The hand stopped, clenched as if in remembered pain.

“Only to have them turn on us again at the first opportunity… without even so much as a thank you or acknowledgement.”

[KAT MRess]

Tr’rin was not by any means dim witted. She knew he was talking about himself. She also knew where this story was headed. And that was… answers. Not just any answers either. Highly classified answers, that most of the population could never dream of. By concentrating on what he was saying and sipping the alcoholic drink, it took her mind off the throb in her head.

“So despite our best intentions, those generations of hate and betrayal are very hard to overcome. Thus when we encountered that Lyran ship, instinct kicked in. Who’s to say who was at fault? I could have ignored him. I could have maintained a defensive posture.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“We’ll never know because the other captain is no longer around to tell us what he was feeling or why.” He finished by downing the rest of his drink.

Tr’rin paused before she spoke. “I know all about…” she stopped as she got one of those unmistakable warning looks from M’Ress that told her she didn’t know half of it. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he’d seen during his career, but again, she was not dim enough to be ignorant to the scope of the situation. It was simply something she had never been exposed to before. She chose her next words carefully.

“I can understand…” M’Ress visibly relaxed… “what is going on between our two races. But what I want to know is if the war has not fully started, why did THAT battle just happen? I mean, why… are we out here provoking them?”

It was the question he was dreading the most.

[KAT MRess]

“We are here to attempt to retrieve something that I missed out on a while back. Something that could be very important to a lot of people… and races. If we are successful… we will have knowledge that could shift the balance of power in the quadrant. I think you would agree that would be VERY useful in the upcoming war.”

So that’s what it came down to. Tr’rin thought. Intelligence

M’Ress could see the thought processes on her face. Knowledge was power in a war and they needed as much as they could get to help their own cause.

“So what is it that is so important?”

“To tell you that, I need to go back and recap a previous mission.”

She took a deep breath. He did mention they had several hours before repairs were complete. So she settled back and took another sip…

[KAT MRess]

Oh yes Leroy... there will be a recap...




Green and M’Ress were in a closed meeting.

“How, in the name of the maker, did she manage to turn a court Martial into a promotion?”

They were pouring over the Intelligence reports about the current status in the Federation. Although they knew that the info supplied by J’inn was heavily “edited for content” it still provided more for them to work with than they had before. Ascertaining the status of all the other major powers after the last war was important to decide where they were going to head for the next little while. Everyone else was pretty well into a state of rebuild except the ISC (who already thought they were superior) and the Romulans (their reports denied even being in the war let alone having to rebuild).

The most interesting piece of data, by far, was a Federation Court Martial of a noted Commodore Rolling. Instead of being sent to brig for thirty years, she came out off it with a promotion to Rear Admiral.

Highly unusual. Even for the Feds.

“There has got to be more to this.” mused Green. “You just don’t go through the trouble of charging someone with an offence just so you can give them a promotion. They must be trying to hide something.”

“Agreed. It doesn’t make sense.” Said M’ress “Problem is how do we get more info. You know as well as I do J’inn won’t give us all the data he has. He’ll use it to his own ends. Just like that legal contribution stuff he pulled on Chuut over his new Bar.” M’Ress grinned.

Green looked at M’ress, “Or another certain promotion that I know of.”

M’ress growled a deep throaty growl as Greens ears twitched back and forth.

“Any ideas?” Green asked after his ears stopped twitching.

“Not really,” looking at Green sidelong in displeasure at the reminder. “After the last war it would be difficult to get any info.  Hate to say it but that’s J’inns area.”

Green pondered for a minute.

“What about W.A.N.K.E.R.?”

[Soreyes]

“What about W.A.N.K.E.R.?”

Oh the Horror  the Horror. 

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress picked a dossier P.A.D. up and consulted it.

“Nah, that wouldn’t work. She doesn’t have a husband in Starfleet.”

“But she is a woman.” added Green “And she was accused of impersonating an officer, and a high ranking one at that. Besides, what better way for W.A.N.K.E.R. to keep tabs on the Feds with an agent in the mix.”

M’ress considered this for a minute. It was a likely course to follow, there was just one problem.

“How long has it been since you spoke to Redfur?” Green asked.

“Not long enough.” grumbled M’Ress “Ever since she got it into her head that I didn’t care any more, she’s been off doing her own thing. I have no idea where she is.”

“You are probably the only officer who’s had contact with W.A.N.K.E.R. and is still active. Think! There has got to be someone else.”

M’ress was trying to remember the names of those that had contacted his Ex-wife over the years. Many of those were too far into politics to get close to now. His brain focussed on one name. Yes, it just might be possible. He dug out another P.A.D. dossier and handed it to Green.

Green took it and examined it. It was not long before he handed it back and said,

“Good luck on that one. I got close before and I ain’t doing it again.”

“That makes you the resident expert.”

“That makes it your turn.”

“Fight you for it.”

They both stood looking at each other over the table. Slowly they raised their right paws  up to their hips and then rapidly pumped them into the air in front of each other.

Green smiled, “Paper covers rock.”

“Damn.” grunted M’ress, “I was hoping I would never have to… uh… encounter that one.”

[KAT MRess]

M’ress touched a button on the comm.

“Miss Throat?”

“Yessir.” A Very deep and rough, but distinctly female voice answered over the comm. Green winced.

“Please bring the report on all active Captains.”

“Right away sir.” And the channel closed.

“How to you tolerate that voice?” Green asked.

“You’ll see.”

The door hissed open and a VERY feminine figure walked in the door. Her fur was dark brown all over with tan highlights on the ears, nose and claws. The uniform was fitting but not snug and did only a little to hide the shapely figure underneath. By her gait you tell that there was military training, but it wasn’t the disciplined stride of a warrior. Rings, small and unremarkable (for professional discretion) adorned both ears, nose and one lip. The whole complimented by a pair of what Feds would call “Tiger Green” eyes.

“Here it is sir.” And she handed the P.A.D. with the report across the desk. “I think you’ll find a few surprises in there.”

“Really?” He took the offered PAD. “Indeed. Thank you, that will be all for now.” She nodded, turned and left the room. Green drew his breath in through his upper lip.

“I see what you mean.”

“So her voice is a little coarse” (One of Green’s eyebrows went up in a statement of “A Little?”) “She is an excellent Assistant. And you should hear her purr.” Both of Greens eyebrows went up at that.

“She was happy when I hired her.” M’Ress glared, answering Green’s implied question and then changed the subject, “Now let’s look at this list.”

“Your numbers have been a little lean lately, do you need a few more for a while?”

“Maybe a couple, just while I do this field op.”

“Ok I’ll send a couple over.”

M’Ress was still reading the list. He stopped and put down the PAD.

“What is it?”

M’Ress looked at Green.

“Gook is back.”

[KAT MRess]

“Really?” said Green, grabbing the PAD and reading it himself. “There goes the donut machine in the KAT House.”

“Not only that but Fur, Ajax, Hades, McCloud and Razor have become active again.”

Again Green’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead. He was starting to look like a Vulcan.

“Sounds like you’ve got enough, do you still need my guys?”

“My guys have been out for a while. They’ll need, ahem… reconditioning. Although, K’arbin should be available. I’ll have to call him back.”

“Where is he? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Deep space mission.” M’Ress answered rubbing his jaw.

“Doing what?”

“Anything he can find.”

“Ah, I’ll leave you to your choices then.” And he departed.

[KAT MRess]

A couple of hours later the intercom buzzed.

“First response to your hail has arrived.”

“Thank you send him in.”

M’Ress didn’t have to look up from his PADs to know who it was that had answered first. It wasn’t the klickety-klick-klick of ten nails on the floor. It wasn’t the pace of the footsteps. No, it was the donut crumbs that fell on his desk.

“Matfukazi, repotin as oded.” Despite the claw rake in front of his face more donut crumbs landed on M’ress’s desk.

“Yes, thank you.” M’ress replied while starting to dab up the crumbs with his index finger. “When was the last time you were assigned to a covert mission?”

“I wuz deep strikin’ in de laft wah.” Not as many crumbs this time. M’Ress restarted his dabbing.

“Excellent. Can you be ready within the next day for a field op?” and then hurriedly added. “Don’t answer! Just nod.”

Matsukasi nodded.

“Good. Dismissed.”

The all black figure with the white tipped tailed turned and left, donuts crumbs and all.

“I wonder if he got that tip from donut glaze?” M’ress wondered.

[KAT MRess]

M’ress touched a PADD and data started to scroll across his desk monitor.

Three more summons had been sent out and he had to wait until they responded. One in particular would take a bit of time. So he decided to pass the time by going over his Fed database.

He needed to find someone who he could cajole into helping him. As he ran down the list various names came up.

Tracey Greenough. Nope for this mission he needed a male. There was no way she could hide those… uh… drones.

As he thought about his requirement again, he realized he could narrow his search. He needed someone younger for the appeal. The list shrunk into a more manageable size as many names like Hooch, Hondo, 762, and Frey dropped off.

Still there were seasoned vets on the revised list. Boy this was tough work. He didn’t realize there were this many Feds to filter. But since he didn’t do this often, the candidate had to be naïve so he could manipulate them. Die Hard, Dark Elf, Fred and Storvick dropped off the list.

He needed to go to Star’s End Bar, which was developing a reputation as a “most wretched hive of scum and villainy”

he paused as he wondered where that thought came from

so that eliminated MOST of the Feds including Father Ted.

Fricking Good Guys. At least the list was very small now. In fact it was down to one name.

Leroy.

One Fed to feed them all.
One Fed to help them.
One Fed to lead them into…

He shook that thought out of his head as well.

Now how to get a private message to this young’un, without his superiors knowing, in order to set up a meeting.

[SSCF-LeRoy]

I would take offense at being called "naive" and "young'un", but then I realize that this was originally written four years ago

Thanks for the trip down memory lane

[KAT MRess]

Hee hee hee <Big Evil Cheesy Grin>



The next summons arrived at M’ress’s office.

As the recipient walked down the hallway, M’Ress could hear the steps through the monitor.

Klickety klick-thub. Klickety klick-thub.

Missing gutting claw, that could only mean…

“Steel-Claw reporting as ordered!” came the announcement the instant the door opened. M’Ress looked up just in time to see the snappy salute.

“At ease.” Although Steel-Claw assumed the “at easy” stance he was still rigid.

“I said AT EASE!” Steel Claw drew in a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

“That’s better. Do you have any idea why your were summoned?”

“None.”

“You’re not in trouble,” The relief was immediately apparent, the orange and black pelt rippled from top to bottom in a reset of muscles. “You’re just on loan for a bit. When was the last time you were on covert duty?”

“I was deep striking in the last war.”

Why did everyone get to deep strike except me? wondered M’ress.

“Good enough, get ready to depart within the next day.”

“Very Good.” Another salute and he spun and left the office. As he exited Green came back in.

“Just thought you might like to see this.” He touched the top of M’Ress desk in the middle of the viewscreen.

“Greetings, independent scientists and press of the United Federation of Planets, I, Chuut-Ritt, have the distinct pleasure to notify you that an object known as "The Guardian of Forever" has come into my possession, and I wish to share its benefits with all the scientist of the Alpha Quadrant….”

“So it’s finally open, excellent. All I need is two more acknowledgements and to send two messages and everything will be set up.”

“About those acknowledgements, I think they arrived addressed to me.” Green handed over a PADD and M’Ress viewed it. “Is he still afraid after that, ahem, “incident”?” Green ran his paw through the rather short trim he maintained on his head pelt.

“Must be. They say they’ll meet us at the bar instead of coming here. Actually that is very prudent, we could lose valuable time waiting for him to show up here and then moving there. I guess it’s time to send the last two messages.”

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress was feeling rather pleased with himself.

He had been able to manuever all the necessary people into to position without too much difficulty. The only thing left was to rendevous with  LeRoy near the edge of Fed/Nebula space to pick him  up.

After he had closed the line between him and Leroy he had briefly pondered whether or not the young Fed officer (Midshipman? He’s have to ask Karbin about that) was playing his own game or he had succeeded in convincing this officer to help him. He had used the line of reasoning that it would be of great benefit if the Federation could find out what the Gorn had planned in the near future. To do so meant that they needed to contact a Gorn operative to supply that info. Since the Kzin were also interested it just made sense that they could help each other in this endeavour. M’Ress would get LeRoy onto the station while LeRoy would do the actual acquisition of the data. LeRoy would then share it and they would all be on their way.

The first sign of a problem came when M’Ress suggested that LeRoy pose as “dinner” for him and his guests. A rumpled Fed uniform, leash and maybe a powered off prod was all that would be needed to show what they intended to do to a captured Feddie. It took many reassurances that he would retain all his fingers but he eventually agreed.

The message to the contact was simple, to expect the new “Treat” within the week”.

Once that was complete, all he had to do was arrive at the agreed co-ordinates and pick up the passenger. Then at the station he would rendezvous with the remainder of his entourage (Karbin and Soreyes) then his plan would be in full swing.

He couldn’t help but feel excited about getting into field work again.

[KAT MRess]

“Are you sure?” he asked his science officer for the umpteenth time.

“Yes sire. There are no ships in the sector just beyond the Nebula.”

M’ress was getting impatient. His rendezvous was late by more than half a day. He was holding his ship inside the Nebula just to be on the safe side, periodically using a tight beam scan to check the sector just beyond. The agreed meeting point was well within the range of the tight beam, as his science officer promised him, but there was still no one waiting there.

Over his left shoulder Matsukasi was quietly chewing, again, on another of those cursed earth donuts. Steel Claw was showing more restraint and interest by monitoring the sensor sweeps over the shoulder of the science officer.

“Mebe dey change dere mind.” said Mat in a small flurry of crumbs.

“He better not have.” Growled M’ress under his breath and quietly vowed to feast on all ten of his fingers if he did.

Another ten minutes went by with no contact. The thought of just how cunning this LeRoy might be ran through his mind again. He dismissed it with a shake of his head. If he was cunning enough to counter his plans then he wouldn’t have agreed to “dinner”.

“Are you sure that thing is working.” he demanded.

Steel Claw answered this time, “Nothing at all except slightly elevated tetryon particles from the Nebula.”

M’ress debated his next move. He knew the path in which LeRoy’s ship had to approach the co-ordinates. Maybe he could slip out and send a tight beam along that path. He could scan for quite a distance that way.

“Helm, ahead one-quarter impulse.”

“Aye Sire ahead one-quarter, exiting Nebula in 30 seconds.”

Slowly the KATNIP LXXIII slid forward out of the gases. As the viewscreen started to clear, M’Ress turned to the science officer and started to issue his command.
“Science officer prepare to initiate a tight scan along…”

“Sire, detecting the signature of a Federation shuttlecraft.”

“Fool! Why didn’t you detect this before?”

“Sire! The tight scan was configured for a full starship.”

M’ress realized that the shuttle would have been masked by the interference from the Nebula even with a tight beam. He could have swept over it a dozen times already. He wasn’t about to admit that oversight in front of the crew though.

“Prepare to hail the shuttle. Steel, Mat, see to it our “guest” is properly received.”

“Yessire.” They answered with a snappy claw rake (and flurry of crumbs) and turned and left the bridge.

“And would someone vacuum his face!” M’Ress yelled as the door closed.

[Soreyes]

I forgot about this little adventure. 

[KAT MRess]

LeRoy stepped into the transporter alcove. His heart was racing as his trepidation was running overtime. He had about a minute before the beam would send him over to the Kzinti ship, so he concentrated on calming himself.

The reason for this anxiety was quite plain. He had never met a Kzin face to face before. Oh sure he had met them in battle, but those exchanges were always over a com link. He had heard about just how large they were, at least a foot taller than himself, with large muscles and the speed to match. Physically he was no match. He had to outthink them.

He’d also heard that they had a good sense of smell. Indeed, if that were true, then they could smell his fear. He concentrated more to calm himself and remove the smell of fear. As the calmness slowly asserted itself, he let his mind wander about who he would meet. What would it be like on their ship?

He lost any more thoughts as the command came to energize.


The brief disorientation overcame him along with the curious light display that resulting from his optical nerves being scattered in the beam. Quickly the lights reassembled into coalescent figures again. Immediately the fear started to rise again inside, but immediately he staunched it.

What he saw was a transporter room, very similar to his own. There was console to one side that had all the standard lights and buttons, and power couplings at the back of the room. Standing behind the console was one Kzin who was stooped over looking at his controls and adjusting a couple of them, as the disorientation faded.

Standing in front of the console were two other Kzin. The one on the left was orange with black stripes not unlike the earth tiger. The other was all black except for a white tip of the tail and what looked like dandruff around his mouth. Both were seven feet tall, very muscular and dressed in the standard grey Kzinti military uniforms. Small sword insignia adorned one side of their collars with what appeared to be rank on the other,
The one on the left had two claws while the black Kzin had one. Both were standing with arms crossed and feet (paws) shoulder width apart (and they were big shoulders). But the most unnerving thing of all…

…they were smiling.

Very large toothy smiles… fangs and all.

[KAT MRess]

Steel Claw looked at the human on the pad. It seemed small, even for a human. But then they all looked small when the average height was only 5’ 10”. It was dressed in the standard Fed uniform of Red tunic, black pants and those boots. How could they ever put such constrictions on their feet? How does one feel the ground when you are in combat?

Steel Claw turned to Matsukasi and in the Hero’s tongue said, “I’ll bet his fingers wouldn’t even make a snack. Look how small he is.”

To LeRoy’s ears, all he heard was “Grrr, pfft hsss rowl.” As he did not have access to his Universal translator in this ship.

“And he reeks.” Responded Matsukasi. “Smell that fear.”

“Is that what that is. Well just keep smiling, it’s a human way of reassurance.”

They both turned back to LeRoy and smiled even larger.

LeRoy saw the lips curl even more and it was all he could do to keep an outward appearance of calm.

“Right this way Lootenant.” This time LeRoy understood as the Orange one spoke in Common. “The Patriarch awaits you in his ready room.” And he gestured towards the door.

Determined to show his lack of fear, he boldly stepped off the pad and moved toward the door. He paused outside to wait for one of them to take the lead. The Orange on stepped forward and the Black one moved in behind and they walked down the corridor. One question now burned in his mind?

Patriarch?

[KAT MRess]

Meanwhile, several light years away on the Star End station…

The darkened panel loomed over the doorway like an ominous void. Past the doorway there had been sounds of activity for some time now. Various sounds of hand construction. Not the usual whine of a transporter or buzz of replicator, but the sound of old fashioned hard work. Hammers, saws, and drills could all be heard being used. Someone was going through a lot of trouble to make this area something special.

The last few days had brought about a change in the noise. The power tools had faded to be replaced by silence or the testing of a loud sound system. After another couple of days the sound had stopped altogether. Now there was just an eerie silence.

Finally, a change was noticeable. Movement could be detected behind the panel and the doors. Not major structural movement, just slight shimmers in the surface. After another couple of days a sign appeared, a fairly large sign as it was written in the 8 major languages of the quadrant. The message was simple and straight forward.

“Coming soon…”

*****


She stared out from behind the one way glass.

Overlooking her creation, she felt a very strong sense of belonging. It had taken quite some time to pull this together, fortunately the landlord was willing and a deal had been struck quite quickly. After that, it had been a case of finding the old fashioned workers to hand-make everything in the establishment. From the burnished rails to the polished tables, everything had been made just right to her exacting standards. It had been costly, but it was worth it.

Her establishment had a very intimate and cozy feel. Almost like your favourite comfortable chair at home. Which was important. With the diversity of life forms that would be inhabiting the establishment, comfort and ease around each other was important.

All the major races had their own sections, there was even a gas chamber to one side for the Hydrans if they wished to liberate from their enviro-suits. A Gorn area was covered in sunlamps and surrounded by low-level force fields to keep the heat in that area. The Kzin and Lyran sections had the chairs with the grooves for the tails, the larger chairs in the Kzin section with the smaller ones in the Lyran.

Klingons had no chairs. Since they tended to party by fighting and jabbing each other with pain sticks, chairs weren’t necessary. A couple of vats of Blood Wine finished that area. The Feds were easy, comfy chairs and dim lighting.

The Romulans were not accommodated as they denied they were even there in the first place.

There was even a hot tub for the ISC (and maybe Hondo if he ever visited).

It was getting close to the Grand opening. The sign out front had been modified to include a date. Soon it would be time to throw the power switch for the sign and throw open the doors. The sound insulation had gone well and the stage was set for the evenings entertainment. It helped being the feature attraction as it save her a bit of cost.

*****

It was time.

She moved to the front door where two large Gorn were stationed as bouncers. She entered the pass code for the power systems.

Outside the doors were flung open to the waiting crowd and the sign blazed forth in bright neon pink. It read…



“Welcome to Kroma’s”

[KAT MRess]

As LeRoy walked along the corridor, he tried to take in as much as he could. Not many humans were able to walk a Kzin ship. That is, not able to walk a Kzin ship and live. He was well aware of the reputation of the Kzin for devouring prisoners. It was well known Kzin did not take prisoners, only meals.

Most of what he saw was battle equipment. Weapons systems, armaments, and spartan offices and quarters. Indeed it was a ship made purely for battle not much in terms of exploration or recreation.

The two Kzin stopped in front of a door and waited. Eventually it opened to reveal a turbolift. The 3 of them stepped in. After a short duration the door opened. They turned down another corridor and stopped after a couple of doors. The Orange one tapped a panel beside the door. After a pause the door slid open.

The chamber inside was large for this kind of vessel. It was also well lit and comfortably furnished. The large desk across the room in front of the door was occupied. Another Kzin was reading information as it flashed across various screens embedded in the desktop. Since the communiqué he had received had no signature or ID, he had to guess as to who it was that sent it. It seemed likely that this was the one. Since the insignia that the other two were wearing represented KOTH (he finally remembered the picture he had seen in the intelligence report before he left), he figured that this was someone of importance to KOTH.

LeRoy was motioned into the room in front of the desk. A hand was raised with a digit extended in a gesture of “One moment please” and he took the opportunity to examine the figure. It was an average sized muscular Kzin, wearing the standard grey uniform with a couple exceptions, white piping was added to the arms and the collar was more rigid. The only decoration was crossed swords on the left breast, denoting KLAW, one of the leaders of the Kzin military. Since the head was tilted forward he couldn’t see the collar decorations but he could see quite plainly the chocolate brown coloration of the head. And the patch over the left eye.

Eyepatch. That could only mean one thing.

The head came up and fixed the one good deep blue eye on him. He could now see the collar. It had the 3 pointed star and circle of KAT and the 5 claws surrounding a circle of high rank.

“Lieutenant LeRoy I presume?” The common English was very good for a Kzin. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Patriarch M’Ress of KAT.”

[KAT MRess]

Leroy’s mind started to race. KAT and KOTH. With a Patriarch added in. This must be big. For the Kzin to send this much it had to be important. But he was just a Lieutenant there were much more qualified field operatives, why him? What was he getting himself into?

M’ress stepped forward and offered a hand (paw) in a greeting gesture. LeRoy took the offered hand and firmly shook it. Trying to remember Kzin etiquette he stammered out…

“I am honored to meet you.”

The corners of M’ress’s mouth turned up a little and he said “The pleasure is mine. It’s not often I get to meet dignitaries in this capacity. Please sit down.”

As LeRoy moved to the offered chair he could hear M’Ress hiss at the other two.

“Would you two stop grinning like idiots. Can’t you smell how scared you’re making him?”

He sat in the chair and immediately readjusted to the groove in the middle.

“We thought smiling was comforting to humans.”

“Smiling, yes. Grinning, no. Don’t show your teeth.” A pause. “No, like this.”

LeRoy snuck a peek and could see M’ress holding the bottom jaw of the Orange one. He was trying to push up the corners of his mouth, while exaggerating the smile himself. After a moment M’ress let go.

“It takes practice. Keep that in mind when dealing with humans. Dismissed.”

M’Ress moved around the desk and sat opposite to LeRoy.

“Now, I bet you’re wondering why I called you here.”

[KAT MRess]

LeRoy left the office feeling much better. He was headed to the quarters on the Kzin ship that have been made up for him. The Black Kzin with the dandruff around the mouth was escorting him.

The situation did not appear to be as severe as he originally feared. Apparently the Patriarch was an old field officer who didn’t get into the field much anymore. It seemed as though he was taking advantage of the Peace to get out and about. What concerned LeRoy more, was the information that M’Ress had spoken of. He did seem rather vague about what exactly it was they were trying to retrieve. It definitely was some information that the Gorn had acquired that he wanted, he just needed a Fed to actually get his hands on it. This worked very well as it was sensitive information that the Feds might be interested in as well. The reason LeRoy had been contacted was that they needed an inconspicuous agent to do it, as most of the major ones were well known (and currently assigned to other projects).

Another issue that was bothering Leroy was the “reliability” reputation of the Kzin. He seemed honest and forthright enough, however, he got the distinct impression that not everything was being told to him. There was enough information to explain the whats and whys, but again the hows seemed vague.

The plan was for him to pose as a meal for the entourage that would enter Stars End. He would change into ripped and beaten clothes and wear a collar with a leash. Prods would be used (that made him nervous) but he was assured they would be turned off. He would have to sell the occasional jab he received. They would search Stars End for their contact, make contact via prearranged signal, and then meet face to face with the contact for the exchange. After the exchange, he would be returned to his ship (with all his fingers). It all should take only a couple days at the most.

They arrived at his quarters. The Black Kzin (who appeared to be eating something) tapped a panel and the door opened. He turned and motioned into the room. This time he was smiling without showing his teeth. Since his face muscles weren’t accustomed to this action, it did look a bit silly, but he was trying and that made LeRoy feel a bit better.

“Thif iss you kwatahs.” He said through a half full mouth. It was then that LeRoy realized that the dandruff around the mouth area was in fact powder and crumbs.

“Thank you.” LeRoy replied. The Black Kzin put something on the table and left.

[KAT MRess]

It didn’t take long to reach Stars End. Although they couldn’t go full warp in a Nebula, it wasn’t far from the rendezvous where they picked up LeRoy. As they approached the co-ordinates of the Bar the Nebula cleared.

It didn’t look like a bar, more like an old Kzin Battlestation (in fact it was). It had been refitted to remove weapon mounts and replace them with other devices. Not that it couldn’t defend itself, in fact the weapons had been vastly upgraded so that they were not as obvious. No one really knew for sure what had been included in this upgrade, not even the Patriarch, the proprietor had gone through great lengths to keep that information a secret.

The interior had been redesigned with far more luxurious accommodations, and large commercial sections added. Most of the engineering and administration was still there as well as business sections.

What was immediately apparent was the amount of traffic that had already accumulated around the facility. In such a short time there had been a large customer core appear. Just about all the races were present, except notably the Feds. For some reason there were none to be seen.

Immediately noticeable to M’Ress were the two Kzin ships docked at the Kzin dock. A quick check of registries revealed the ones he was expecting.

“Comm, contact the station and inform them of our arrival, then contact those two ships and get their captains over here As soon as possible.”

“Yes sire.” And he left the bridge.

[KAT MRess]

Upon docking at the Star’s End Bar, M’Ress did not immediately disembark as expected. Instead he sat in his quarters and waited. He didn’t have to wait long.

The first of two arrivals was almost immediate, this time however, he couldn’t listen to the the kickety klick-klick of claws on the floor. Instead the door chime merely rang and he answered.

“Captain Soreyes reporting as ordered.”

So, this was the captain that kept requisitioning MDC’s one step ahead of him. The last war had seen M’Ress spend an unusual amount of time in larger ships like the CC and CVA. Every time he requested a new ship from the docks, Soreyes had already been there and had just left with it. It did force him to spend some much needed experience time in those recently improved models, but it was still aggravating to see the same name pop up again and again. He sized up Soreyes.

An average sized Kzin with the common orange and black coloring, he was unremarkable with no scars or special coloring patterns. What was distinctive about him were the earth aviator goggles (circa 1941 Japanese) he wore. Clear plastic covered the entire upper half of his face, slightly modified to fit his nose, they were rimmed in a rich fur found on a prey animal from Mraa. They had to be comfortable, rumor had it he wore these constantly.

“At ease.” Soreyes relaxed visibly and his pelt rippled in response. “Tell me, why do you wear those…”, he gestured at his face, “things.”

“Congenital condition with my eyes.” was the response, “They are very easily irritated.”

Out of curiousity, M’Ress stood and moved around the desk. He stood right up to Soreyes’s face and peered through the goggles. Sure enough, the eyes were bloodshot.

“Have you consulted the medics?”

“Yes, numerous times, in just about every facility on M’Raa. Nothing seems to work. These lenses offer the best reduction in outside irritants while keeping my eyes from drying out. At the same time they inhibit vision the least.” M’Ress nodded and stepped back.

“When was the last time you went on covert duty?”

“I was deep striking in the last war.”

M’ress stiffened and ground his teeth. He has GOT to examine orders more closely and get involved in this stuff. Especially if all the MDC's went on these missions and not him.

“Very well, we will be conducting a mission on this station in the next couple of days. Report to Steel Claw and get yourself settled, we will need you ready to go on a moments notice. Notify your ship.”

Soreyes raked a salute across his face, spun and left.

[KAT MRess]

That left only one more. This one would prove to be the most… interesting. M’Ress hadn’t seen this one in some time, after the incident where he was clocked and rendered unconscious in the War room. The resulting concussion had excused him from that war and provided the other command staff the opportunity to elect him Patriarch.

Apparently, he was in the hallway waiting for Soreyes to leave. M’ress wondered if he was still wearing that ridiculous outfit. The white knee length pants, blue decorated waistcoat with tails and the halfmoon hat sitting pointing forward between his ears.

From time to time M’ress had donned a persona in order to accomplish a certain goal. Like when he became a Rastafarian along with Hades to distract certain enemy forces. The overdose of Katnip was necessary as it was inadvertently discovered to protect Kzin (and only Kzin) from the effects of the dreaded Federation Polka bomb.

And there was the time he became an Evangelist in order to capture J’inn’s hybrid son from the monster base station that protected the genetic secret to the relationship between the Lyrans and the Kzin. The bonus to that one was it wound up getting J’inn out of a pre-arranged marriage to Do’mee.

But this was getting ridiculous. There was no goal being sought with this persona. In fact all that had been accomplished was several long and deep patrols in the remote part of Kzin space. Rumor had it that his crew were starting to refer to him as “Master and Commander of the Far Side of the Galaxy”.

The persona had originated from some pirated Earth transmissions. A fictional character from a series of “Saturday Night Movies”. It was a character from what they called “Royal British Navy”, circa 1800. What was that characters name again?

Horatio Hornblower.

Maybe he had had too much Katnip himself when he heard of the Polka Bomb immunity. Now he was stuck and couldn’t get out of it.

M’Ress decided that he had kept him waiting long enough.

“Enter.” He commanded.

The small slight figure entered the room. He was still wearing the outfit, complete now with polished hard leather boots and golden epplets on the shoulders.

M’ress eyed his former mentor. The orange fur was starting to grey in many places except in the areas that were still black. The black however only persisted in the tips of the fur giving the appearance of the fur being singed in many places. Thus the nickname, K’arbin.

“Captain Karbin reporting as ordered milord.”

M'Ress shook his head, "That's sire. The proper way to address a Patriarch is sire. At Ease."

[KAT MRess]

“Yes Sire.” responded K’arbin.

“Did you uncover anything while on patrol?”

“No milo… Sire.”

“Have you done any covert missions lately? Wait, let me guess, you were deepstriking in the last war.”

“No sire. I was homeland defense, you know that.”

M’Ress rested his forehead on his right paw on the desk and muttered something incomprehensible.

“I beg your pardon, sire?”

“Nothing. I need you for a covert mission in the next couple of days. Be prepared to leave on a moments notice. Dismissed.”

K’arbin snapped a salute, not the usual claw rake down the face but a tapping of the hat with an outward gesture, and he spun and left.

Now that M’Ress had all his people together he could start his plan into action. The first step was to uncover where the contact may be located. He called up several station listings and started to peruse the possibilities.


*****
At this point, the original story took a break for Christmas holidays…

*****



M’Ress awoke with a start.

The last thing he remembered was staring at his monitor. No, there was this strange dream. Something about being human and celebrating something on earth. There were large men in red suits, glucose flavoured fruits, antlered prey animals with red noses being worshipped in song and endlessly roasted flightless birds for feast after feast.

Weird.

Afterall, who would want to cook their meat and take all the flavour out. He looked at the monitor.

There was a list of compiled of places on the station that should be inspected for the contact to be made. He touched the intercom.

“M’Ress to Transporter room.”

“Transporter room, here.”

“Don’t let anyone beam over to the station yet, I have some orders for them first.”

Down in the transporter room, Soreyes was standing on the pad. His grin quickly turned to a dejected frown. He wasn’t going to get to celebrate just yet. He sulked out of the transporter room back towards M’Ress quarters.

When he got there, everyone else was assembled. SteelClaw, Matsukasi, K’arbin and himself were standing in front of the large desk.

[Soreyes]

Let the games begin 

[Rattler]

Still at it after all these years.

KOTH Rattler

[KAT MRess]

The Lyran Heavy Cruiser slid through the Nebula.

”At last” thought the captain “Some much needed R&R. The crew has earned it and so have I.”

It was fortunate timing that the new facility had opened up. It was located quite close to his last assignment and rumors had it that a new “Warriors club” had opened within it.

Hopefully, there would be better entertainment than Lyran heros in thongs. That would be just too much to bear.

Captain Potemkin was looking forward to the first round of drinks and entertainment at…what was that club called again?

Ah yes…

Kroma’s.

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress was handing out PADs to everyone. Contained on those devices was a list of all the possible areas on the station that might house a Gorn contact. There were 5 possibilities.

“Now each of you select a search area and report back to me in 3 hours on anything and everything you find that might be of interest.”

Each one saluted and left the quarters. M’ress sat down and logged the list into his personal database. When he was done he checked on the requisition for Leroy and remembered that he had better follow up on that to see if it was to his liking. He was just standing up when the doorchime rang.

“Enter.”

The door opened to reveal LeRoy in a uniform, however, the uniform was tattered and dirty, very unlike the last time he had seen the Starfleet officer.

“How does it look?” LeRoy said holding his hands out for a better look.

M’Ress inspected a little closer. The tears were real enough but some were in the wrong places. If you wanted to render a captive for food you didn’t slice near the throat.

“Hmmmm”, he said extending a claw “Hold still a second.”

He moved the claw slowly toward LeRoys arm near the shoulder. He then gently placed it along the seam and twisted it. The seam popped open. Then he moved it over to the middle of the chest and inserted it into a little hole and pulled. One more near the seam on the hip and he was finished.

LeRoy let out his breath with a whoosh. He had never seen a Kzin claw that close before.

“There. Now that looks like a warrior was either trying to hold you by the arm, stun you to the chest or slow you with a hit to the leg. Can you limp a bit?”

LeRoy, relieved to not have received any damage, walked a around the cabin with a stiff knee.

“Excellent. I think this will work out quite well. We have a bit of time before the rest get back. Bourbon?” M’Ress reached for a bottle of the liquor and a bottle of milk.

[KAT MRess]

LeRoy was feeling pretty good. Several shots of bourbon will do that to you. He wasn’t bad enough to realize that he probably shouldn’t talk about certain things, but he wasn’t feeling any pain either. M’ress seemed to be feeling pretty good himself, although he was obviously being guarded as well. Good thing neither one of them was even trying to pry anything out of the other. He was just having a bit of trouble with the idea of mixing the bourbon with the milk. It seemed to be the preferred way of drinking for the Kzin.

After a few tales of previous wars, it seemed M’ress has been around a lot longer than he initially thought, and a few tales of their respective families, it was time to retire. The officers that M’Ress had sent out would be gone for a while and then they would have to make arrangements for the next step depending on the data that was returned. There would be time enough to sleep this good feeling off.

In the meantime, Soreyes was feeling surprisingly good. When the list had been delegated he was given one that took him into the Gorn residences. He was happy with that as he could probably find out where that bar was.

When he arrived in the sector for the Gorn, his way was blocked by a force field. Beyond the force field he could see the waviness associated with the warm, dry air that was natural for the Gorn. He would need some water as he knew he would dry out very quickly in that atmosphere. He turned and headed down the hall way toward a water bar.

[KAT MRess]

K’arbin walked toward the docking bays. He had chosen this assignment because it would give him chance to examine the latest ships as well as search for prominent Gorn arrivals to the station.

He arrived at the docking level and immediately moved to the QuarterMaster office. An assistant snapped to attention as a ranking Kzin entered the office.

“At Ease, now tell me where I could find a list of arriving personel.”

The assistant pointed to a terminal to the side of the office.

K’arbin activated the terminal and punched in the request. It looked like this was not going to take very long. The terminal responded…

“Collating data, requested data will take 1.5 hours to process.”

So much for finishing up quickly. He turned to the assistant.

“Why does it take so long to process such a request?”

That terminal is not used often enough to be considered a priority. It’s relatively low on the operations list.”

K’arbin inwardly sighed. He decided to pass the time by examining the ships currently in dock.

As he walked down the walkway he noticed one of the smaller ships. The hull was Fed but the weapons were assorted. As he got closer he could see the registry.

Pirates.




Matsukasi walked toward the General residences. What better place for someone to hide out? With a plethora of all races in this area, anyone could walk around and not be out of place.

At first there didn’t seem to be anything of interest here. But once you got past the obvious signs and main hallways, there was actually quite a bit to be explored. Fortunately the general section wasn’t the largest, it would take him at least a couple of hours to investigate, but it was the cheapest, attracting the seediest types of patronage. Perfect for an informant who didn’t want to be found.

About an hour into his exploration Matsukasi found a side passage, similar to those that cities would call and alley, that bore an unusual look. Instead of being relatively small with less lighting, it was medium sized and cleaner than most. It almost looked well used. He turned into it to see what was there.

Almost immediately after he entered the darker area he became aware of the others around him. Various sorts, but mostly human. That would make sense as technically Feds weren’t allowed. The best place for them to hide was in an aside like this.

Most of them gave him a wary eye as he passed. Not too many humans would take on a Kzin hand-to-hand, at least not without a weapon, and these ones obviously didn’t have any. They couldn’t afford one.

After a while however, one did dare to approach him. He was tall, almost a tall as K’arbin who short for a kzin, but he couldn’t tell what kind of build he had. The long black overcoat draped from the shoulders all the way down to his ankles. As he approached he waved a hand at Matsukasi, beckoning him to follow. Intrigued, Matsukasi did follow.

They went a short way around a corner into a doorway. Matsukasi could see the entire area and there was no danger. The man licked his lips and spoke…

“I can see that you are a being of discernable taste.” He paused and looked around. His hand strayed down to his belt that closed his coat. Matsukasi moved his hand to a ready position by his wtsai. The man opened his coat and displayed the inside.

“Wanna buy a donut?”

[KAT MRess]

Steel Claw was headed for the business sector of the station. He figured that the best way to track someone would be through business dealings. Since they were not looking for a company any private transactions (with Gorn names) should tell him a lot.

The business sector was easy to find, just look for all the formal business attire and the latest decor. That and check the station map. It wasn’t a large sector as the station had mainly retail outlets and entertainment. What little work was accomplished in this sector was mainly administration. Therefor, it shouldn’t take that much time to scan any records and match up a few.

After flirting with the receptionist behind the desk (she was kzin and VERY impressed with the KOTH insignia), she allowed him to use one of her terminals. It was simple data extraction from public records, so no major rules were broken.

The data was very slow in coming up. The receptionist explained that the terminal was not a high priority in the station and so did not receive much attention from the mainframe. Great. This meant he would have to stay here around her for the next 2 hours while he waited. And she seemed VERY accommodating.

While he didn’t exactly volunteer the information, he didn’t have the heart to tell her he was already married.




LeRoy couldn’t sleep. Although he had slept for a little while, he soon woke up experiencing the usual after affects of potent bourbon. Right now his mind was occupied with the puzzle of how M’ress was able to consume as much as he did and not show any affects whatsoever.

It came down to three choices. First, his Kzin metabolism was far more capable of handling the alcohol. Second, his size meant it took at lot more to get him drunk (mental note: do not get into drinking contest with Kzin for this reason). Third, the milk mixer helped neutralize the alcohol.

He wondered if anyone had detailed enough information to confirm his fears about Kzin metabolism. Not many in the Federation would even want to get close to a Kzin to find out. Any that he knew of in captivity didn’t last long as they were usually greviously wounded. There was only one place his randomly wandering mind could think of that might have that info.

Section 31.

He’d heard about them. All Federation had heard about them. No one had been able to track them down however, as they were extremely good at doing what they did. They were so good at covering their tracks that no one really knew what it was they did do. So getting a hold of any information from them, would be next to impossible. He briefly wondered if they were involved in this situation.

He decided in the end that it didn’t matter. All he wanted was the brass and drum band in his head to stop.

[KAT MRess]

Soreyes in the meantime was losing his patience. After wandering around the Gorn environment for a while he was starting to get tired of all the endless chatter. Apparently, Gorn can be quite amicable when they wanted to be. Everyone that he talked to wanted to tell him this or show him that. Most of which was of no interest to him, however, he had to pay attention should something worthwhile actually surface.

He trudged on. Fortunately there was only an hour left. Besides he could use his dwindling water supply as an excuse to move on.




“Behold lads, that be the infamous Kaptain K’arrrrrrrbin.”

K’arbin turned slowly around to face the voice that came from the docks in the general direction of the Pirate ships. Standing there was another Kzin surrounded by an assorted group of other species. He was medium sized for a Kzin but powerfully built. His red tabby coloring was accentuated by the large shock of fur around his jowls. He was dressed in fairly suave but worn white shirt with puffy sleeves, a long silk scarf covered his head, and knee-high boots. The whole was finished off with tight leggings and a silken sash around his waist. K’arbin eyed the speaker.

“And you must be the notorious… Redbeard. It’s been a long time.”

“Aye, it has.”

The two glared at each other as if to bore a hole in his opponent.

“I see you haven’t changed your manner much,” said K’arbin coolly “How’s the leg?”

Redbeard’s right leg twitched as if in remembered pain. “It be aaaalmost as good as your missing fur. How’s yer head?”

It was K’arbins turn to wince. The fur had grown back, but it was scarred black, hence the singed appearence.

“At least my fur can regrow.”

Redbeards fur rippled and his ears lay back. His men inched away from him, sensing the coil before the strike. K’arbin delivered the final insult.

“I may be heavier, but your ugly and I can lose weight.”

With a howl of rage Redbeard drew a wtsai seemingly out of nowhere and flung it at K’arbin. In the split second before it made contact and energy bolt appeared and vapourized it, mere inches from K’arbin’s skull. It was however, off target and disappeared into the air at K’arbins left.

Redbeard gaped at K’arbin. He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t even flinched. He just grinned and fluttered his ears.

“I see your throwing arm is a good as always.” K’arbins voice eerily calm. “When you left years before you were but a learner.” He paused “You still are the learner.”

Security appeared and stood between the two. They outnumbered the pirates and all were equipped with heavier weapons.

“All right that’s enough.” Spoke the leader, then turned to Redbeard “YOU were told no weapons. Return to your ship until further notice.”

Redbeard sneered at the sergeant and turned to comply. The rest of his men followed. When they had dispersed, the sergeant turned to K’arbin.

“Are you all right sir?”

“I’m fine sergeant, thank you. No harm done.” The sergeant eyed him.

“Do you know him?” K’arbin paused then drew a breath and sighed.

“He was pupil of mine, until he turned to piracy.” He looked at the sergeant. “Patience was never his strong suit. He wanted everything right away.”

“Well, I suggest you depart for now. He won’t be in good mood if he is allowed back.”

“That’s quite alright sergeant, I think my data is ready now.” K’arbin turned and entered the office, picked up his data disk and left.

[KAT MRess]

He was in heaven.

Who would have ever thought it was possible for a desperate Kzin to get a hold of a donut out here.

Let alone a Krispy Kreme.

Let alone a dozen Kripsy Kreme.

Let alone a dozen warm Krispy Kreme.

The glaze was still gooey and the insides still moist. Matsukasi had no idea how this human had done it, but he was thankful. So thankful he had purchased the entire coatful. Once his intention to purchase the entire dozen became known the human had produced a box, a GENUINE KK box, for him to carry them in.

So there he was walking through the General residences, delicious donut in one hand, the box in the other. He didn’t scarf them all at once, no, his good fortune was to be savoured, every last luscious mouthful. The upswing to all this was, having his craving satisfied, he found it much easier to concentrate on what he was doing.

There were several things of interest here. The number of humans for example. For a race that technically wasn’t allowed, there were an awful lot of them. But more intriguing was the absence of Gorn and Kzin in this area. There didn’t seem to be a one anywhere.

Most interesting.

Some of these lesser fortunate residents eyed his donuts. He wasn’t afraid of them though. They seemed to know that you NEVER came between a hungry Kzin and his donuts.




Steel Claw was watching his timepiece. It seemed like he had been here a week, but it was only an hour. That meant at least another hour to go.

Normally this wouldn’t present a problem, passing an hour was relatively easy. All you need to do is go over your itinerary or read any available periodicals that happened to be laying around. But in this case the problem was much more… intrusive.

The receptionist was doing just about everything she could to keep his attention. From bending over in front of him, to brushing against him (so he could smell the perfume which seemed to appear AFTER ten minutes had gone by), to almost sitting in his lap when she checked on the terminals functionality. With the data retrieval going so slow it seemed at times that it had stopped altogether. It was becoming painfully obvious that she was interested in more than just his “data”.

She had also made several communiqués with the Comm system. Calls, he suspected, were not business in nature. As much as he hated to eavesdrop on a private conversation, she wasn’t that far from him. He could hear the hushed tones and an exclamation of “Yes he is! See for yourself!” and the monitor was subtly adjusted in his direction.

It wasn’t that she was unattractive. Steel Claw simply wasn’t interested. He flirted a bit in the line of duty, but that was it. He was devoted to his wife. And it didn’t help that she was probably young enough to be his kit.

This last hour was definitely going to drag for a long time. He looked at his watch again. 55 minutes. He swore that his watch was slowing down.

[KAT MRess]

LeRoy awoke to the sound of an intercom chime. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep. But then again Bourbon will do that to you. He reached for the comm Panel…

…and nearly fell out of bed. Kzin quarters were larger to accommodate their size and the comm panel was not located conveniently beside the bed.

M’Ress was patiently waiting for a response on the intercom. He suspected that LeRoy was sleeping. He seemed a little unsteady when he left three hours before. After several rings there was an answer.

“Leroy here.” The voice sounded a little agitated.

“It’s M’Ress.” He paused. “Are you alright?”

“I tripped answering the summons. But I’m fine.” M’Ress’s sensitive ears could make out the sound of something being rubbed in the background. “What do you want?”

“My scouts have returned with the data. It’s time for us to make an appearance.”

“Right, I’ll be right there.”

LeRoy tapped the panel to end the transmission. He fumbled for the light and after wincing at the sudden brightness looked at himself in a mirror. What looked bad was not the worst he had seen but it did need work. He started to pour a sink of water when he stopped. This would probably add to his appearance of a prisoner. So he drained the sink and turned to leave.

As he turned he saw something on the table. It looked very familiar. He took a closer look. Could it be? He touched it and tasted the result. Yes, it was.

A Krispy Kreme donut.

He scarfed it down without hesitating.




When LeRoy arrived back in M’ress’s quarters all the other Kzin had returned. He recognized the two that had greeted him when he first arrived, but did not recognize the other two. One wore a pair of antique aviator goggles and appeared to panting, constantly taking swigs from what appeared to be a water bottle. The other wore an even more antique Naval uniform and just glared at everyone. Apparently the Kzin were just as colourful as humans.

“Judging by the data collected by everyone,” M’ress was saying “Our contact appears to be well hidden. They will not be easy to find.”

“So what is our next step?” The big-and-orange asked.

“We make an appearance. We let the contact know we are here and wait for them to make contact.”

“Wouldn’t we attract attention?” Goggles asked, “I mean, several Kzin parading around. Not too many groups accumulate here.”

“We would accumulate if we were celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” the donut supplier asked.

“The capture of our prisoner.” And M’ress gestured toward LeRoy.

[KAT MRess]

All eyes turned toward him and he gave a little uneasy wave. Three heads nodded in approval while the fourth just glared from under that damned blue hat.

“All we need to do is add the collar and leash.”

This was the part that LeRoy was not looking forward to. He held out the collar that M’Ress had given him earlier. At least it was lined so that it would not chafe his neck. He wrapped it around his neck and buckled it in at a comfortable place and then held up the loose end of the leash.

M’Ress in the meantime handed K’arbin and Matsukasi each a stick with a couple of controls on them.

As they moved down to the transporter room, K’arbin was examining his stick. Hmmm, this one isn’t turned on.

Once they arrived at the transport room M’Ress turned to LeRoy.

“Let’s try this once before we go.” He turned to Mat and K’arbin and motioned for the sticks.

LeRoy immediately went into convulsions as soon as contact was made. M’Ress, Steel Claw, and Soreyes applauded the reaction.

“That was excellent! It looked very realistic.”

“I-I-It w-w-was re-re-real.” Spat LeRoy.

M’Ress turned to Mat and snatched the stick out of his hand, examined it and handed it back. Then he snatched K’arbin’s and examined it. Upon reading one the buttons he adjusted the controls and handed it back to K’arbin.

“It’s supposed to be turned OFF!” he growled, “This is part of the disguise.” He turned back to LeRoy. “My apologies. One of the sticks was accidentally turned on.”

He looked at LeRoy, who had turned even whiter and was still shaking from the discharge.

“Why don’t we take a minute for you to recover.”

LeRoy glared at K’arbin.

[Soreyes]

hehehehe 

[SSCF-LeRoy]

That had to be one of the worst away missions that I've ever been subjected to

[KAT MRess]

<big evil grin>

“How do you feel?” M’ress asked LeRoy.

“Better.” He was still glaring at K’arbin who was innocently looking anywhere else. After a glass of water and a couple of minutes to sit, he was looking better. Some of his color had returned and he wasn’t shaking anymore.

“Ready to go?” M’Ress asked.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

A few minutes later they were walking down the promenade, Steel Claw and K’arbin infront (M’Ress took the prod away from him and gave it to Soreyes), M’Ress leading LeRoy in the middle, and Soreyes and Matsukasi in the back waving their sticks menacingly.

After a few minutes M’ress stopped dead in his tracks. He motioned to the others to gather closely.

“Tell me gentlemen, did any of you actually investigate the commercial sector? Or did you just complete your initial assignments?”

They all looked at each other and then collectively shrugged their shoulders. M’Ress rested his head in his left paw.

“And none of you found a prominent Gorn?” he said making a gesture to the side.

They all turned to face the direction he indicated. He was indicating a sign, blazing forth in Neon pink glory.



WELCOME TO KROMA’S

[KAT MRess]

“Ok, this is how we will do this.”

M’Ress was talking to everyone, including LeRoy.

“SteelClaw, you and K’arbin go first. Once you get in grab a table as quickly as you can and create a diversion. The door guards will question me as I lead in Leroy, so we need to distract them so I can get him in.” SteelClaw and K’arbin nodded. “Then once the guards are distracted the rest of us move in.” Everyone nodded.

LeRoy was happy. All he had to do was keep up.

Steel Claw and K’arbin moved off toward the door. M’ress waited until someone else moved in behind them and then moved to join the lineup. As SteelClaw and K’arbin approached the door, it opened to reveal two Gorn inside the door.

LeRoy, as with the Kzin, had never seen Gorn face to face before. They were exceedingly large, even taller than the Kzin. One was light brown and the other an emerald green. Both had a full set of very large pointy teeth. Kzin teeth were fierce because of the large fangs and sharp front teeth. Gorn teeth were all large and pointy. They stood under a couple of low watt sunlamps and asked a couple of questions of each patron.

SteelClaw and K’arbin had no problem getting in. The next group, a party of Romulans, had a little trouble answering a couple of questions. Apparently they had to keep repeating themselves as the Gorn guards couldn’t hear their whispered answers. After a short delay they too entered.

M’ress stepped up with LeRoy in tow.

[KAT MRess]

...and just because it's a Holiday in Canada and will be in the States in 2 more days...




“Number in party?” the hissing voice of the Gorn guard asked.

“Three.”M’ress replied.

“I ssee four.”

“I’m not counting the human.”

“What iss a human doing with a Ksszin?”

“Sport,” M’Ress grinned showing all his teeth. “Then dinner.”

The guard looked very dubious.

“Hey, I captured him fair and square in battle. He’s mine.”

“Yeah,” cut in LeRoy, “only because you tricked me with…” he was cut off as Matsukasi and Soreyes jabbed with the sticks. LeRoy, now knowing what his reaction should look like, immediately convulsed. Nice touch. thought M’ress.

“Shut up you.” M’ress turned back to the guards who seemed to be smirking in amusement.

“Trust me he won’t be any trouble.” M’ress was beginning to wonder when SteelClaw and K’arbin would create their disturbance, when the shouting began.

[KAT MRess]

As soon as they entered the bar, SteelClaw and K’arbin took a quick look around. The Kzin section was obvious, the large chairs with the groove for the tail. So they moved over to a table near the front by the stage. As soon as they arrived they tapped an order into the console on the replicator in the center of the table and five ales appeared. Then they looked around.

How do they go about creating a disturbance? K’arbin was looking over their section, they were the only Kzin here. The dancer on stage was a rather comely, and well endowed, Lyran female. No use trying anything there. The guards would quickly put an end to that.

SteelClaw on the other hand was looking further. It didn’t take long before he found what he was looking for. There they were, in the next section.

Lyrans.



Potemkin, his first officer LtCmdr Mirata, his weapons officer Lt Krawj and three red shirted marines, Major Tel Za Rokg and Lts Narahhi and Tedar, were all sitting at another table in the Lyran section.

The Lyran section was marked by the smaller chairs with tail grooves and Potemkin’s party was near the front. They were engaged in bragging rights over a few battles they had fought and never noticed the Kzin enter.

Krawj had finishing up his tale of the last battle where he had executed Potemkin’s orders of an exceedingly difficult manoeuvre. The helmsman had been wounded on the first volley from the enemy and he moved to take over, handling both weapons and helm at the same time. He was making an animated gesture with both arms out wide when a large tankard suddenly exploded on his head and he slumped forward.

The foam and shards of plastic quickly settled. The rest of the table occupants turned in the direction from where the tankard had come from.

A large orange Kzin in grey uniform and a smaller orange one in a weird Blue uniform were glaring at them. The larger one pointed a finger at them and said in a loud voice

“Who let that kshat in here?”

[KAT MRess]

The shouting was an obvious cue. The Gorn guards turned to see what the fuss was about as inside everyone could see the skirmish breaking out between the Kzin and the Lyrans. As the Gorn guards moved off to the side to get reinforcements, the door closed behind the Kzin at the door. Soreyes and Matsukasi pushed by and headed immediately into the fray. With Potemkin hanging back shouting orders and Krawj unconscious on the table, the odds were now even.

The Kzin advantage of size and strength were countered by the agility and quickness of the Lyrans and it was obvious this battle would not be over soon. Tankards were thrown and howls of rage echoed through the establishment. The dancer on stage tried to continue her act through an increasingly difficult atmosphere. Chairs were overthrown and tables upended. One of the chairs landed on the stage whereupon the dancer immediately righted it and continued her seductive act on the chair.

When it quickly became obvious that the Gorn guards weren’t quite prepared for this kind of disturbance, the Klingons abandoned their vat of Bloodwine and joined in with a war cry. Into the fray they waded, fighting with Kzin, Lyran, - and each other (everyone knows a Klingon likes a good fight). Screams of “Dizzrick”, “Weasel” and “Tracey Rolling” were added to the feline howls of war.

Meanwhile, the few humans (Feds) that were there, tried to make themselves scarce by squirming into the corners and under tables. This was probably very smart on their part as they were obviously the smallest race there.

The Hydrans, prevented from entering the riot by their enviromental chamber, started taking bets on who would win. Money quickly changed hands as odds were laid (3 to 1 of course).

The Romulans simply ignored the whole scene and denied they were even there in the first place.

[Dizzy]

Who won!!! Of course us Lyrans win, because we have claws as weapons that dont get confiscated at the door...

[KAT MRess]

Aha... but don't Kzinti have claws also?

[Dizzy]

Lyran claws r longer... 

[KAT MRess]

Read on...

[KAT MRess]

Julin Eurthyr was enjoying a nice relaxing hot tub when the fight broke out. The ISC section was equipped with the hot tub to simulate the humid atmosphere that amphibians seem to appreciate. Annova, his wife, had joined him on this trip along with his XO Varkin and Ardrian, one of his convoy captains. They had just come to an agreement on convoy business with the honourable salute of: BUD-WEIS-ER, when their meeting was disturbed.

It happened when K’Hunt and Matsukasi were circling each other for position and Mirata tried to spring a sneak attack on the Kzin. Unfortunately for Mirata, in the middle of a fight, everyones senses are on full alert. Matsukasi detected the surprise and countered. K’Hunt annoyed at being interrupted, then assisted Matsukasi in throwing Mirata out of their fight.

Call it blind luck or fate, he landed in the ISC hot tub.

Needless to say Julin was more than a little outraged. He immediately tried to remove the offending feline All that hair in our beloved water with the help of Varkin and Ardrian. This task proved to be somewhat difficult because as with any feline, Mirata totally detested water. Add to that fact that he was in the middle of a battle rage and the result was quite spectacular. In a flurry of water, fur and green skin (ISC are too polite to curse) the fight continued in the hot tub. Mirata managed to land a solid blow on Varkin, and was grabbed from behind by Ardrian and the two spilled out onto the floor.

Julin followed to make sure that Ardrian wasn’t injured and after a quick check by Annova, Varkin followed as well.





Soreyes was being pressed by a Lyran when he inadvertently backed up against the stage. For a Lyran, Za Rokg was large and very strong and he used Soreyes’s goggles to his advantage. After a feint and using the leverage of a divider wall Za Rokg launched an attack on his opponent. Size once again was a factor as Soreyes countered, turning the Lyrans weight and managed to pin him against the stage. Using his weight, he leaned the Lyran over backwards and applied pressure.

Just then the dancer bent backwards over on her chair, and came face to inverted-face with Soreyes as he leaned on Za Rokg. Even though she was a Lyran, Soreyes couldn’t help but notice the deep brown eyes and seductive smile. He paused to look at the dancer as she batted her eyes and said “Pur-r-r!”

ZA Rokg took advantage of the distraction by kneeing Soreyes down low and a solid cross elbow to the jaw. Soreyes keeled backwards and in the pause as both regained themselves, Za Rokg quickly kissed the dancer and said “Later sweetie.” and jumped back in.

[KAT MRess]

Steel Claw was engaged in hand to hand with T’oast’yo. The Klingon seemed very honourable and was not using his d’k tahg, so he wasn’t using his claws. After a couple of exchanges, and several broken chairs, they wound up in a close in grip where strength was challenged. Steel Claw used his height to lean over T’oast’yo, bending him over to expose his side. When T’oast’yo’s weight reached an imbalance, he lifted his rear foot and tried to hook the Klingon over. It would have worked if he hadn’t forgotten his missing gutting claw.

The result was an ineffective rub on the Klingons side, revealing the tactic. T’oast’yo twisted, countering the move and efficiently throwing Steel Claw over a table. He landed on his feet because he turned himself into a roll when he felt his weight going over. After a brief curse about forgetting his damaged foot, he lept at the Klingon, over the table, hoping to catch him off guard.


K‘arbin had just dispatched Ardrian back into the hot tub and was turning to face Tedar, when the Gorns finally entered the scene. Being the largest and the most numerous they were able to break up the battle.

With the Klingons withdrawing, clearly annoyed at the truce being called (still shouting insults at each other) and the ISC settling back into their tub, the Lyrans and Kzin glared at each other through the wall of Gorn as they too settled back in.

Virtually unnoticed, M’ress sat at the original Kzin table, near the front by the stage, with Leroy right beside him.

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress took stock of the occupants of his table.

Everyone was still conscious with only a few minor injuries. Soreyes was rubbing his jaw and sitting a little uneven. SteelClaw was massaging his forehead. K’arbin seemed unscathed, but was smiling broadly with his ears fluttering back and forth (it would seem he found one of the discarded pain sticks from the door). Matsukasi’s right eye was swollen, but something else caught M’Ress’s attention.

“Matsukasi, what happened to your crumbs?”

Everyone turned to look at Matsukasi and realized that his face was clean.

“Must’ve washed off when that Lyran landed in the hot tub.” he said sulkily.

It was plainly obvious that his fur was in fact black all around his mouth. Still, everyone had the expression (and scent) of “Damn that was fun!”

His eye slid nonchalantly over to the Lyran table, the one that had been hit with the tankard was coming round. The captain was trying to assist him as the others were rubbing and flexing various body parts.

LeRoy was sitting quietly more or less keeping to himself. He recognized that it was not a good idea to be sitting with a bunch of battle incensed Kzin, looking like dinner.

*****

In the back room, behind one of the two way mirrors. A decision was being made.

“Give me a minute and then cue the intro.”

It was time to take everyone’s mind off fighting.

[Soreyes]

Oh Gawd!!!!
Soreyes Changes over to his "Black Out Goggles" 

[SSCF-LeRoy]

Oh Gawd!!!!
Soreyes Changes over to his "Black Out Goggles" 

*sigh* I wish I was that fortunate

[KAT MRess]

I just have to point out...

If you sort by number of views, this thread has become top ten viewed of all time.

Thank you to all those who continue to read the ongoing story and then keep comng back for more.
I think it's quite an accomplishment considering that this thread is totally unrelated to any server or campaign.

Thank you one and all for your continued reading and support.

[KAT MRess]

“Ladies and Gentlemen, and Hydrans in between. Kroma’s is proud to bring to you our feature attraction. She is the Diva of Dance, Princess of Plasma, Behemoth of Ballet, and the Pride of the GDA! Put your hands together for the one… the only… KROMA BASYL!”

A thunderous applause erupted within the bar. However, as M’Ress looked around, he noticed that no one was actually clapping. Techno dance music started up (Humans might recognize it as the Gorn translation of Micheal Sembelo’s “Maniac”), and the lights dimmed.

In flurry of movement and an explosion of pink, she appeared. No one opened the curtain, it just sort of whooshed aside. The stage was shaped like a T, with the top against the wall with the entrance, which was located at the cross of the T. This gave a performer plenty of room to manoeuvre when they entered.

And enter she did.

Right out into the middle of the gangway in front of everyone. Spinning and leaping, head to toe (claw) in lacy pink, she was giving her all. Spotlights followed her every move, flashing lights accented the movements. Pausing, on an almost regular basis, in front of each section she would give each section a chance to take in everything (and there was a lot to take in).

M’ress reached out to hold on to his ale, which was being moved close to the edge from the constant pounding on the stage. Halfway into his draught he stopped. He pulled something from within his uniform pocket and made a gesture to everyone at the table and they all did likewise.

Except for LeRoy. M’Ress extended his hand and said,

“Here put these on.”

LeRoy held up the offered sunglasses.

“But they’re solid. I can’t see through them.”

“That’s the idea.”

[KAT MRess]

“This is ridiculous.” thought LeRoy, “I can’t see a thing in these, how are we supposed to see the signal?”

Up on stage, she was building up to her, uh… climax, and started to execute her BIG finish. Using the… pole, at the end of the gangway, she launched herself into a spin while balanced right up on her toes (claws) of her left foot. She spun, perfectly balanced, back towards the entrance. Moving her arms and right leg up and down to create the illusion of a changing shape, she spun toward the entrance.

However, she stopped at a pre-decided point and slowed her spin. Holding out the right leg at an almost impossible angle, she fell to the floor in the full splits, with her front and face flat on the floor. This meant that her full, ahem… ample posterior, was exposed to the Kzin section.

This movement was executed just as LeRoy took off his glasses, whereupon he immediately knew darkness.

M’ress waited until the lights died down before he took off his glasses. She was leaving the stage when he looked over and saw LeRoy, unconscious.

“That’s the signal.” he thought.

K’arbin also took off his glasses with his free hand and upon seeing LeRoy, jumped up and dropped the stick on the table exclaiming…

“Upon the Maker and all that is holy, I swear didn’t touch him!”


LeRoy’s eyes fluttered open and looked into a bright light. He had a most unusual dream. He dreamed he was surrounded by partying Kzin and had just been flashed by a Male… or was it a Female, Gorn.

Oh…  the horror!

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. His face was all wet, probably from the tears caused by the flash, and then shook his head. When he could focus again the first thing he saw, was the blue peering eye of a Kzin. He startled and looked quickly around.

Oh crud! It wasn’t a dream.

There were two Kzin watching him close up. One had an orange face and the other a chocolate brown face. The blue eye belonged to the chocolate one, who also had a large pitcher in his paw.

“I think he’s coming round?” said M’Ress

“Yup, his eyes are open and moving.” said Steel Claw.

“How do you feel?” M’Ress asked LeRoy.

Realization slowly came back to LeRoy, M’Ress must’ve doused him with a pitcher of water to bring him ‘round. But bring him back from what? He quickly thrust the memory aside.

“Good Lord! What was that?”

“A warning, keep your glasses on next time.”

[KAT MRess]

It was several minutes before LeRoy was able to stand. M’ress liberally applied more water just to make sure.

M’ress was keeping an eye on the guards in front of the door to the backstage wondering how they would get through them when he noticed another Gorn appear from the back and whisper to the guards. It was barely noticeable, but he caught the quick glance in his direction. What was that for? Were they cornered? Were the guards waiting for them to make a move? Whatever it was he couldn’t wait too long after the signal. He leaned over to Steel Claw and said,

“Stand ready, I’m going in, but somethings up.”

Steel Claw nodded and looked at the others who caught the motion. All were ready.
By this time Leroy was moving much better, so M’ress gave a tug on the leash and they rose and headed to the door leading back stage. He whispered to LeRoy,

“Get ready for anything, the guards are waiting for us.” LeRoy nodded.

As they approached the door M’ress braced himself. The first guard looked at him,

“Ah Yesss, the eveningsss entertainment. You are exssspected.” And they parted.

M’ress moved right on through with a slight tug for the obviously surprised LeRoy.

[Soreyes]

  ............................ 

[KAT MRess]

That was too easy thought M’Ress.

As they walked down the hallway his senses were on full alert. He fully expected to be ambushed, that would explain why they were let in so easy. But something wasn’t right and he couldn’t put his finger on it yet. He turned to LeRoy after they had rounded a corner and started to remove the collar.

“Be alert. Those guards let us by, way too easy.”

“Why do you say that?”

“We should have been questioned. Not many Kzin associate with humans freely like this, even if they are dinner.”

“Did it ever occur to you that they recognized us and were instructed to let us in?”

Apparently LeRoy had seen the messenger too. Now it was M’Ress’s turn to question,

“How do you figure that?”

LeRoy gestured at his collar and closed one eye,

“How many one-eyed Patriarchs do you know that associate with humans, even for dinner.”

M’Ress looked agape at LeRoy as realization dawned that LeRoy really wasn’t as naïve as he thought. Still something was amiss. He drew a deep breath when it struck him what was out of place.

[KAT MRess]

“There’s something wrong in this hallway.”

LeRoy stiffened. He’d heard about Kzin senses and that Bar fight was proof enough of the rumors. He quickly looked around.

“Somebody’s been here before us.”

“Yeah, Kroma,” he said “She.. he… it worked up quite a sweat out there.” He shuddered “Even I can smell that.”

“No past that, underneath the obvious smells.” M’Ress was turning his head, testing the air with smell breaths. “More than one non-Gorn.” LeRoy was surprised at that.

“Non-Gorn?” he looked up and down the hallway “Like who?”

“Shhh, let me concentrate. They’re hard to sort out.”

M’Ress closed his eyes and drew in a long slow breath to separate the scents. The dull salty scent of another human, the sharp pungent leather smell of a Klingon (ugh! Do they ever groom?), the sweet mixed scent of an Orion…

“So far I can make out another human, a Klingon and an Orion.”

“All of which are here at the bar. Can you recognize any?”

“No, the scent of Gorn and smoke is too strong to discern specific individuals.”

“Well, your hearing and smell is much better than mine, let me know if it changes.”

M’Ress nodded and continued. There was one thing he didn’t mention, a fourth scent. One that was maddeningly familiar and yet he could not place it. He sniffed the air as they moved through the hallways, in order to fix the memory of the scent in place.

[KAT MRess]

The last hallway was lined with several doors, all with control panels, but there were no labels to denote what was behind each. LeRoy looked at the closest panel.

“Nothing. No titles, names, nothing.”

 M’ress wasn’t paying attention anymore. He was listening. His paranoia was starting to rise again at this unexpected delay. So his senses were attuning again. This time he was listening. He could hear several voices in the hallway. He turned his head slowly to close in on them.

“What are you doing now?” LeRoy asked.

“Shhhh. Listening. I can hear who on the other side of these doors. But breathe softly. I could shoot you in the dark.”

He moved slowly and silently down the hallway, turning his head from side to side taking in the sounds. The hum of a heat lamp, the hiss of an aerator (methane), conversation between two Lyrans – one male and one female, the snore of a Klingon female, total silence (must be a Romulan), the bubble of a humidifier…

He was nearing the end of the hallway when he finally heard what he was listening for. A lone voice was singing in common but with the lisping and guttural accent typical of a Gorn. He tuned in on the voice. It was behind the last door of the hallway, and he could now make out the words.

I feel pretty… Ohhhh sssso pretty…
I feel Pretty and witty..
And I pity
Any girl who isssn’t me today…

[KAT MRess]

“This is the one.”

“How do you know?”

“I can hear Kroma singing.” LeRoy looked at M’ress with a very dubious expression, but shuddered anyway.

“How can you be sure?”

“I recognize the voice.” LeRoy still didn’t look convinced. “Well that and the pink panel.” and he pointed to the door control.

There is was, neon pink in the dim hallway. Not much doubt there as the rest of the panels were mild orange or yellow. LeRoy drew a slow deep breath.

“I guess this is it.”

“Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” And he stood in front of the door.

M’ress tapped the panel and a chime sounded. A voice sounded from inside, a voice as sexy as a Gorn voice could ever be.

“Who is it?” as the door hissed open.

“Cabin Boy!” said M’ress and shoved LeRoy in, closing the door behind him.

[KAT MRess]

At first the room was dark. So dark that LeRoy could not even see his hand in front of his face. He felt the panic rise up within him and he fought to keep it down. Breathing as deep as he could to maintain control, he drew in a lungful of air tainted with the dry acidic smell of a Gorn. He coughed lightly.

A pink glow appeared, very faint on the other side of the room. At first there was no shape or form to it but it soon coalesced into a shadow. As the glow grew in intensity it became apparent that there was no shadow. It was an outline. He could make out the pink lace and dry skin. The head came into view and it was unmistakeable. The mouth opened and drew in a long lingering breath…

“You must be the big bad spy come to rid me of my precious,” the thin voice drew in a deep breath, “…treasures.”

LeRoy froze.

Wrong move. With great speed, belied by her size she sprang from the bed and…



EDITED FOR CONTENT.





         

[Soreyes]

 

[SSCF-LeRoy]

[KAT MRess]

M’Ress stood in the hallway awaiting the results. He could hear the… vigorous… activity within the room.

The panting.
The thumping.
The crashing.
The yelling.

He looked around the hallway for something, anything, to take his mind off the possibilities behind the door. A gleam caught his eye. Down on the floor just outside the other side of the door there was something metallic on the floor. He bent over to pick it up. It was an earring. A small gold earring. As he looked at it he had the distinct feeling he had seen it before. He thought of everyone at the bar.

Lyrans? No. None of them had any.
Dancers, maybe. There were several he didn’t get a good look at.
Kroma? She could have been wearing a crown that he didn’t notice because of the sunglasses.

He didn’t have chance to ponder it for long when the activity inside slowed and quieted out. The silence that followed was more unnerving than the activity. He tucked the ring into his pocket for future consideration. Slowly time ticked by and seemed to draw out longer than he had ever known it. He could just pick up traces of movement through the door. With no idea of who it could be, the paranoia started again. Just as the feeling was getting too strong to bear, the door opened.

LeRoy stepped out, unscathed.

M’ress looked at him with obvious surprise. LeRoy glared back, was that murder in his eyes?

“You’re alright?” M’ress said.

“No thanks to you.” Yes, he was upset.

“How’d it go?”

“She was… energetic.”

M’ress was left speechless at that comment.

“Good thing for you that I can run faster with fear in my heart than she can with lust in her pants.” he drew real close and hissed the next statement, “Kzin or not, you would pay for that.”

[KAT MRess]

M’ress winced. He kinda deserved that. But desperate to change the subject and leave he said,

“But did you get it?”

Leroy bored into M’ress with his stare before he held up his hand to reveal a data disk. M’ress smiled and held up his hand. Leroy pulled his hand back. M’ress said in a stern voice.

“A deal is a deal. I got you in.”

Leroy paused, his point made he handed the disk to M’ress.

“Excellent,” M’Ress said “Now we can get out of here.”

“Not so fast.” Leroy countered “I would like to check out more of this station, if you don’t mind. With the declaration of Admiral Die Hard that Feds are not allowed, you’ll understand that I want to take full advantage of the opportunity.”

M’ress sized up the human. Defintately not one to be underestimated in the future. But it did present him with a solution to his immediate problem. How to get back out with a “live” human. He eyed LeRoy.

“Very well. I’m sure there is a back door to this place.”

Leroy glared one last time at M’Ress and turned to leave.

When M’Ress got back out to the table, K’arbin looked around and loudly asked,

“How’s the prisoner?”

To which M’Ress let out a loud belch and said,

“Delicious!”

[KAT MRess]

Back on M’raa, M’ress was in a good mood. He entered the hallway to his office with a light step, if he could whistle like a human he would have. As he got to the door it opened to reveal Miss Throat sitting at her desk, organizing the day’s business on her terminal.

As he approached he was struck by something about her. As he was in such a good mood, instead of walking by with a “Good Morning” he stopped and sat on the corner of the desk.

“And how are you this morning?” he asked looking her up and down.

She looked at him a little shocked and replied,

“I’m fine. How are you?”

He drew in deep breath while stretching out his arms.

“In a really good mood today. Can you request Patriarch Green to come to my office please?”

“Very well.”

He entered his office and without sitting, paused by the desk, dropping the dossier in the center of it. The stretch had been a cover for the breath he took. But it had told him what he wanted to know, where he had detected that scent before. He pulled something out of his pocket to make sure. Then he turned and headed back out the door to her desk. She had just completed the summons to Green when he leaned over beside her.

“I have something for you.” He said. She looked at him more than a little surprised as he took hold of her hand and turned it over, palm up. That surprise changed to shock when he dropped the earring from the bar into her hand.

The earring that exactly matched the ones she wore.

Before she could react further, he seized her by the front of her tunic and lifted her out of the chair and hard against the wall.

He held his face close to hers and hissed…

“You’re fired.”

[KAT MRess]

“And here is what all this trouble was for,” M’ress was saying to Green “I figured we could analyse this together.”

M”Ress placed the disk on a reader and tapped the play command.

After several minutes of playback Green turned to M’ress and said,

“Just who is Sponge Bob Squarepants?”


OHHHHHHH  Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Absorbent and yellow and pourous is he!
SpongeBob SquarePants!
If nautical nonsense be something you wish!
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!
SpongeBob SquarePants!


*****


Some time later, LeRoy entered Admirals Rollings office with a very self satisfying smirk. Not only had he managed to fool M’ress with the fake disk, but he had also completed another mission in the meantime. The data he had gathered would be invaluable to the Federation.

“Is that it?” she asked as he pulled the disk from his pocket.

“Yes ma’am.” He moved to a playback terminal and inserted the disk, and they watched in silence. When it was done she turned to Leroy and asked,

“Who in the hell is Howdy Doody?”


Say kids, what time is it?
It's Howdy Doody Time!

It's Howdy Doody Time.
It's Howdy Doody Time.
Bob Smith and Howdy Do
Say Howdy Do to you.
Let's give a rousing cheer,
Cause Howdy Doody's here,
It's time to start the show,
So kids let's go!

[KAT MRess]

Kroma was lounging in her room, feeling quite pleased with herself. It had been the performance of her career. She was particularly proud of the faint at the end to entice the young Fed into “stealing” her data. She would be able to make better use of this than selling it to the Feds or Kzin.

“Yesssss, my precioussssss. You sssshall go to the hightessst bidder.” She mused to herself while twirling the case between her fingers. She was so content with herself that she clumsily dropped the case.

However, when she leaned over to pick it up she noticed that it had popped open. And worse…

the case was empty.

The howl of rage could be heard above the music in the bar.


*****


Somewhere on a Klingon C7, dextrous fingers spun the datadisk on the end of a claw. A long Cuban cigar held in the same hand as a brandy snifter rose to the mouth which dragged off the cigar long and slow. Blue smoke was streamed into the air, while the white furry paw spun the disk.

“Amateurs.” He said quietly before sipping the cognac.

[Soreyes]

 


Yes we are all Amateurs compaired to the Lord Of Chaos 

[KAT MRess]

With that now retold, this thread has now passed the 10,000 mark, which moves this into 5th overall in the "Most popular thread" category.
Thank you once again for your continued interest.

And now, back to the current story...




 Tr’rin stared at M’ress for a minute, digesting all she had been told. While being fascinated with the story, she wasn’t entirely sure how it was relevant to their current position. She took another sip of the drink to buy some time and realized she was still clutching the towel. She toyed with the towel as she contemplated everything, realizing quickly that the throb in her head had indeed died down to a dull ache that could be ignored.

M’Ress watched her. He could almost see the thoughts running across her face. Everything was explained, and things were falling into place in her mind.

Except for one thing…

“So what was on the data disk?” she asked and after a brief pause… “And where did it go?”

Inside M’Ress smiled. Not only had she put it together and figured out the “Why” for the mission, she had also hit upon the “What” of the situation. He was now thoroughly convinced that hiring her was a good choice.

“We’re not sure,” He answered truthfully “And J’inn isn’t talking. Which is his prerogative as Minister of Intelligence during peace time.” (that was a lie) “However, given the currently political atmosphere, we need to know now… more than ever.”

Again she paused. Her eyebrows pulling together in thought. She was a lot more relaxed now sitting cross legged and leaning back against the wall. The towel was now forgotten spread across her lap and the drink was in one hand while she gestured with the other.

“So that’s where we’re really headed.” She reasoned “Someone in your position does not normally lead supply missions…” the thought finished up and she spoke it out loud. “You’re going back to try and get that disk.”

[KAT MRess]

Tr’rin’s career as a High Ranking Military Personal Assistant had gotten off to a shaky start. But now her total Net worth just skyrocketed. Not only had she stayed her ground during a battle (with minimal injury and not collapsing in fear), but now she had pieced together the true purpose of the mission with minimal prompting.

He smiled at her.

“Not bad.”

He sat back and looked at her appraisingly. She was still looking elsewhere as the thoughts concluded. Even though he had deliberately put out the evidence for her to see, it was still something else to actually take the pieces and put them together. And she had nailed it right on the head.

“And I’m the cover story.” She continued, “A younger female... or discreet ‘Diversion’ for a divorced high ranking ‘tosh.”

He glared at her. “Now THAT… is presumptuous and insulting.”

…and 100% true. he thought trying hard to not move a muscle in his face.

“But... ” she continued deliberately, “How else could you explain your second supply run during a war?  What better way than with your CIVILIAN secretary?”

Correction. Put the pieces together, drawn the correct conclusion AND determined the intended course of action.

Not bad at all.

[KAT MRess]

The crowd was in a good mood tonight. They weren’t rowdy or spoiling for a fight, mainly because there were not a lot of Klingons, but they were very vocal and loose with their money. The pocket and purses opened freely and frequently.

In what was becoming a frequent routine she was dancing on stage right before the feature headliner, who was always the same, the lizard that owned the place. She never could figure out if it was male or female. No one ever got close enough and Pk’zyy had no desire to find out for herself. Being on stage right before the Diva was as close as she wanted to get.

Up onstage the crowd was cheering, especially the Lyran section when she appeared. It seemed that several Lyran Patrol ships made their way past the Stars End Bar on a regular basis. This provided her with a regular crowd and steady income from the tips they would lavish on her. It was this income that accelerated her savings that would enable her to get back home.

So she did what she always did, played up to the Lyran section, allowing several of the Soldiers to place the tips into edges of her costume. It took a little practise, but the unwanted advances of these customers were now handled easily in such a way they always came back even though they were turned down flat.

It may have been demeaning, but at least she wasn’t selling herself completely. And she was making money faster than before.

[KAT MRess]

Three weeks!

That’s how long it would take to get to their destination at sublight.

Repairs were complete as they could get with the limited onboard resources and despite the large amount of re-enforcement, the Nacelle pylon was simply too unstable to handle Warp speeds. M’Ress had contacted Star’s End bar to inquire about additional parts that could be sent back on one of the other ships, but they informed him they didn’t carry spares for warships, something about not becoming a hostile center of activity.

So in the end one of the other escorts would warp back to M’Raa and get the parts but there would be delays in that. 3 more days to Star’s end while escorting the transport. 2 days to unload. 5 more days to return (damn those sublight engines), another 2 to re-load, and 3 more days to return to him.

Either way it was a long wait.

Boredom started to rear it’s ugly head again.

[KAT MRess]

By this time Tr’rin had read most of the procedural manuals and was starting to guess beforehand what the Yo’man needed before he handed any requests back for more information. The exchanges between them now consisted of handing the PADD back and forth as they answered each others questions. More and more frequently she had the final hand off.

While it thrilled Tr’rin  that she was able to execute her duties, it annoyed the Yo’man to no end that this young, female, civilian was showing him up. His duties were either being cut back or he was being laughed at for being upstaged by her. Either way, it was not a desirable situation for him.

M’ress meanwhile, had noticed the building tension and teeth grinding in the Yo’man and realized the cause was how much Tr’rin was unknowingly compromising him. His issue was to find something to occupy Tr’rin so no-one was compromised. By asking her to back off, demonstrated a lack of faith that had just instilled and compromised her. So he had to re-direct her efforts. Question was…how?

The answer to that predicament appeared quite unexpectedly.

[KAT MRess]

The Problem facing Gunnery Sergeant #7 wasn’t unique.

He had been around long enough that he had seen just about everything. He was used to dealing with young upstart officers fresh out of Boot who thought they knew everything, and some were more stubborn than others. However, this one by all accounts was proving to be more stubborn than usual. A LOT more.

He had dared to try and face down the C.O. and X.O. Even worse he had done it simultaneously. The sergeant had served the patriarch, even before he was a patriarch, and as far as he was concerned the position was not given or bought. It had been earned the old fashioned way with hard work, bravery and military discipline.

During the few brief appearances for meals, the new lieutenant had appeared sulky and bitter. But on the fourth day something changed. This piqued his interest. The scrub had shown promise in his abilities, he just had no interest. He needed… motivation.

[KAT MRess]

Rog’r was miserable.

Not for the reasonable that one would expect though.

After his…lecture with the Patriarch and his Exec, he had been furious. And he had stewed over it for several days. In fact it was the fourth day before he even opened the manual. He grudgingly began to read.

It soon became glaringly apparent just how many standing orders he had missed. It also became readily apparent he had been lucky to only be disciplined for one.

He had been warned about life “in the field”, but had dismissed them as embellishments from tired old soldiers. As a result, he had completely ignored the shipboard procedures. He had incorrectly assumed that basic training was enough and was now scrambling to get the manual read in it’s entirety within 3 days. Studying was bad enough, cramming while in confinement was even worse.

The door chime rang. Irritated at the interruption, he slowly got up to answer it. It rang again on his way to the door.

It was that Damn Sergeant.

[FPF-Paladin]

 

[CaptJosh]

Wait...is this mook gonna end up turning into something resembling a competent officer? *blink blink, blink...*

[KAT MRess]

Undecided...

I'm more focused in resolving M'Ress problems right now.

Will he make it back?

Will he get the disk?

Who did he wind up in bed with?

[KAT MRess]

Tr’rin arrived in the ready room beside the bridge. Most of the damage that had occurred to the bridge were power systems. As a result consoles had exploded from the feedback of the surge from the ESG. However, the damage was restricted to only that. There was no structural or hull damage. Most of the power couplings and monitors needed replacing as they were what absorbed most of the surge. The working components were protected by the power couplings doing what they were designed to do, rupture on overload. Once the power was reset and the monitors replaced functionality was almost completely restored.

Tr’rin had dodged the workers and wove a path across the bridge to get to the ready room. Today there was a lot less than previous days. While it was getting easier to navigate across the bridge, it was also getting easier to actually move around again. Her head didn’t throb as much from the concussion and her balance was coming back. She was even able to cover up the nasty mark left behind from her collision with the corner of the step on the rear part of the Bridge deck. There were a couple of stitches involved but they had been small and easily covered by her fur. It was no longer tender and she frequently forgot about them.

M’Ress obviously kept her on light duty and she had slept a lot the last few days which seemed to help a lot. But now she was feeling almost back to normal and was starting to move around again. She was even getting familiar with the ship, so she didn’t stop and ask for directions anymore.

As she entered the room, the Exec glanced up. He himself was still unsteady from his injuries. He had unwisely exerted himself in the discipline of a Junior officer and had paid the price for that. Typical of the head wound he had received, not feeling the pain until later. He was only now showing signs of recovery.

The Exec made a last comment and then folded up his report and stepped around her to leave. Tr’rin kept her eyes on M’Ress who had yet to lift his gaze and acknowledge her.

[KAT MRess]

I haven't forgotten about you guys.

Just took a break over the holidays and catching up on a few things.

[Rolling]

Tick Tock, time is up!  LOL!