Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 07:11 PM - The Next Chapter
It had been a difficult adjustment period. The incident on the Macaba three days ago had left him physically and emotionally exhausted. His life, as he knew it, was, once again, over. He hadn’t realized the toll his ordeal had taken upon him until he found himself deeply concerned that some sort of apparition had taken up residence in his bathroom mirror. He found himself, standing in the bathroom, staring at a man with an angular face and tanned skin. He had a glow about him that belied his dark features. His eyes matched his black hair and he had a small scar above his left eye. Odder still, the man he was staring at moved in tandem with his own actions. His brain was so numb that it took him a full thirty seconds to realize that the apparition he had been so enthralled by was in fact his own reflection staring back at him. He looked to his left and right as if someone could be watching him while he was in the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief when he saw no one present. He pawed at his face, trying to familiarize himself with the image in the mirror; his image. It had been five years since surgeons from Stafleet had altered him and he’d set out on his life of Federation sanctioned crime.
The door to his quarters opened without notice and in walked a female Zakdorn. Hearing the doors open, he walked out of the bathroom and saw that his guest was holding a small cube shaped device in her left hand and a padd in her right. She placed the cube shaped device on the center table and pressed a button on its side. The device momentarily emitted a low-pitched tone and was then silent.
“Verna, it’s customary to ask permission when entering someone’s quarters. To do otherwise is a severe breach of Starfleet protocol and just plain rude.” He added with a smirk, “Besides, who knows what I could have been doing in here.”
Verna Ziloran cast him a severe look, “Welcome home Jorel. It seems, despite your years of undercover work, you’ve maintained some knowledge about Starfleet protocols and standards. Not that this would have been evident from reading your case file.”
Jorel rolled his eyes, “If Starfleet had a problem with anything I’ve done I’d have been pulled out of the field. Not to mention if you actually felt that way you wouldn’t have argued so vehemently against my transfer out of Starfleet Intelligence.”
Verna ignored Jorel’s comment and grabbed his chin. Jorel reflexively tried to back away but her hand held firm. “Seems like our little transport-by-phaser job worked. Your alter ego is effectively dead. The doctors here on the Damocles should be praised for their work on restoring your original appearance.” She let him go and handed him the padd she walked in with. “Your request for transfer has been approved. You have been assigned as the Security Chief aboard the USS Freeman under Captain Roan Dillinger. She will be on a deep space assignment for the better part of the next decade. You are expected to arrive aboard Deep Space X in six weeks. That is when the Freeman leaves for her assignment. Your belongings have already been transferred to the Freeman. I assume that this will be acceptable.”
Jorel took the padd and read the official orders. “Lieutenant Jorel Calhoun… I wondered what rank Starfleet would deign to afford me… everything looks acceptable. Was there anything else?”
Verna nodded and reached into her front pocket. “One last thing, Maria wanted you to have this. It was in her will. I managed to get it for you considering you were… unable to attend her funeral.” She handed Jorel an over-elaborate necklace that seemed as if it was carved from some kind of wood with the symbol of a bird and fire at its center. “Coincidentally, it appears to be of Kurlan origin. Much like the items you had acquired for your auction. This would make the necklace almost priceless.”
Jorel was speechless. He and Verna never had what one would call a good relationship. In fact their relationship could be best described as adversarial at best. He hung the necklace in the air and stared at it. Verna smiled at that and nodded to Jorel “Good luck. Despite our differences, you always got the job done. I’ve never known a member of your species that behaved quite like you. I hope your time aboard the Freeman helps you find what you need.”
Jorel rolled the necklace into his hand and took a deep breath. “Thank you Verna. I share the sentiment. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, even though at times that may not seem obvious.”
At that, Verna bowed and walked out of his quarters. Jorel, still staring at the necklace, sat on the edge of his couch. He looped it around his neck and closed the wooden clasp. He stared out his window and watched the stars roll by as the Damocles continued onto it’s destination at warp speed. He had nothing he wanted to do between now and his arrival aboard the Freeman. No family he wished to contact and no friends he could speak to about his sudden reappearance. He was now alone. It was going to be a long six weeks.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.6 / 7 )Thursday, October 18, 2007, 08:52 AM - The Next Chapter
Panic ensued in the grand hall. While many of the auction attendants on board the Macaba were extremely wealthy, many of them also had any number of warrants for their arrest in Federation space. The guests began to scramble towards the exits on the north and south side of the hall but as they approached the doors they found them sealed and unwilling to open. Jorel looked around the room, trying to find a ventilation shaft or some other means of escape other than the main hall doors, but found none within reach. He attempted to amass the materials that were set to be auctioned off into their storage containers when the station was rudely rocked by heavy weapons fire. Jorel looked out the grand hall’s windows and saw that the Federation starships were attacking the Macaba and meeting no resistance. The station wasn’t firing back. Worse, three of the Federation ships had already docked with the station and were presumably sending Security teams over. His attention shifted towards the exits as he heard yelling coming from outside the Northern and Southern doors.
Starfleet Security forces broke through the two doors simultaneously and quickly took control of the room. Some of the guests attempted to make a break for it as the Starfleet security personnel came in but were quickly rebuffed by a few well placed phaser blasts and rifle butts to the head. A tall Human Starfleet officer walked towards the center stage and prepared to address the crowd. He had the pips of a Lieutenant Commander and had that usual Starfleet arrogance look in his eyes.
“I am Lieutenant Commander Yager. This is an illegal smuggling operation and you will all be detained for questioning and processing. Do not resist the Starfleet Security personnel. They have been given full authority to use deadly force if necessary. You will all be processed, and, if found innocent of any crimes, will be released. Until then… you will all be transferred to one of the Federation vessels docked to this station.”
The crowd bellowed in protest but a few shots from Yager’s phaser rifle quickly silenced them. Yager continued on quoting Starfleet laws and subsections this and that. While Yager continued his speech, Jorel had made his way closer to the southern exit and found himself standing directly behind an Andorian security guard. Jorel surveyed the crowd and saw that all attention was focused on Yager. He decided that if he was going to make a break for it this would be the best time. Jorel elbowed the security guard in the side of the head, dazing him, and then pulled out a Ferengi phaser and fired at Yager. As Yager went down, Jorel grabbed the Andorian and held his Ferengi phaser to the security officer’s temple. Every phaser rifle in the room was now aimed squarely at Jorel.
“I am going to walk out of here. Anyone try to stop me and I will squeeze the trigger. I will get to my ship and leave here and will return your security officer to you when I have been granted safe passage.”
The room was deadly quiet. No one responded to Jorel’s demands. Unsure of how to proceed, he began to slowly back out of the hall towards the Southern exit. Seconds seemed like hours as Jorel inched closer to exiting the hall. None of the security personnel moved. Things were going well and Jorel believed he may actually get out of this mess intact. However, he had underestimated the Andorian security guard’s recovery time and was caught off guard when the Andorian elbowed him in the stomach, picked him up over his head, and threw him back into the hall. Rolling as he hit the ground, Jorel stood up, pulled out his Ferengi phaser and aimed at the Andorian. He froze as he felt the muzzle of a phaser rifle in his back.
Lieutenant Commander Yager, still dazed from the shot he took earlier, had set his phaser rifle to maximum. “Surrender now or else, when I’m done with you, a whole team of forensic specialists won’t be able to scrape a trace of your DNA from the deck.”
Jorel was trapped. He refused to be hauled off to a Federation rehabilitation camp but saw no way out of this predicament. The crowd, seemingly forgetting their predicament, was now watching in stunned silence at the showdown that had erupted between Jorel and the Starfleet Security personnel. They looked at Jorel as if he was their one last hope to escape Federation detention and incarceration. Jorel saw no way around it. He screamed in frustration and began to squeeze the trigger of his weapon. Yager was too quick. He discharged his phaser rifle before Jorel could get a shot off and watched as Jorel’s body vanished from existence. The auction pieces were seized and the Starfleet Security officers rounded up the rest of the guests and herded them off the station.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.6 / 7 )Saturday, October 13, 2007, 06:40 PM - The Next Chapter
Jorel was getting anxious. Tonight was the big night. He’d arrived in the Tirod system two days ago and docked his ship with what was once called the Makaba, a Klingon Research Outpost that was abandoned during the Praxis crisis. It was situated inside the Tirod Nebula, which made it the perfect outpost for the Orion Syndicate. Jorel had invited a number of wealthy clients to the station to auction off some of his most recent acquisitions. Everything and anything a warlord, smuggler, or villain would want, from Kurlan artifacts to stolen Romulan scout ships. However, the centerpiece of this auction would be the stolen Starfleet schematics of the Galaxy class and the, still in development, Defiant class. He hadn’t been this anxious since his successful attempt to elude the Romulan Tal-Shiar team that was sent to capture him years ago on Alteron III.
A beeping sound was coming from a silver briefcase at the side of his bed. He grabbed the suitcase and flipped open the lid to reveal a communications system. On the screen an image of a Zakdorn female appeared dressed in a typical drab Zakdorn-style dress. Jorel sighed inwardly at soon as the image coalesced on his screen. It was Verna Tiloran, an associate of Jorel’s. She stared disapprovingly at him and shook her head.
“I am in receipt of your request. I am in no position to deny it. However, I think it’s a mistake.”
Jorel laughed out loud, “It’s a good thing you’re in no position to deny it.”
“Does this have something to do with Maria’s death? We all know why you couldn’t be there. She wouldn’t hold it against you”
Jorel’s face darkened, “Look, all I need you to do is to do as I asked. Have the arrangements been made as I requested?”
“Well… yes, we are standing nearby now… but that doesn’t mean…” Jorel cut the transmission before Verna could complete her sentence. He checked the chronometer on the wall and saw that it was time to make his way to the auction. Jorel got up from the bed, put on his jacket, and started to head towards the grand hall.
Jorel nodded to the two Orion sentinels guarding the main entrance and was quickly let through. The Grand Hall was immense. Converted from an old Klingon cargo bay, it was the picture of opulence and decadence; exotic humanoid females, mingling with patrons or dancing around metal poles, drinks that bubbled, frothed, or sizzled, delicacies from every corner of the quadrant. There were representatives from practically every race that the Orions' did business with. Many were staring out the series windows on the east side of the room at the swirling Nebula around them. Jorel made his way to the center platform and nodded to the Orion female standing next to the podium. She turned off the music and called the hall into order. The attendants made their way to their reserved seats for the auction to begin.
Jorel smiled at the crowd and bowed in respect. “The first piece up for auction is from the long dead civilization of the Kurlan…” The bidding continued for the next. Item after item was quickly sold at a profit level far higher than expected.
As the auction was coming towards a close, Jorel displayed images of the Galaxy class and Defiant class vessels on the holo-screen hanging above the center platform. The crowd started murmuring in excitement. Jorel surveyed the crowd and was trying to determine how high he should start the bidding. He turned from the crowd, waiting for the low level murmuring to cease and glanced towards the windows on the east side of the room. He froze. He turned off the holo-screen and backed away from the podium. The crowd started to protest but their bellowing did not cause Jorel to return to the center platform. The crowd then, as one, turned to see what Jorel was staring at and they quickly bolted out of their seats. The screaming of the guests was only drowned out by the alarms that began to sound as 5 Federation Starships took up tactical positions around the Makaba.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.6 / 7 )Tuesday, October 2, 2007, 08:41 PM - The Next Chapter
Llaiir stood, with her hands on her dagger, staring at the smuggler. He killed most of her team with brutal efficiency. Yet, he now lay before her on the bed, drunk and barely hanging onto consciousness. She began to step closer to the human as he continued to drunkenly stare at the ceiling. Her chest was burning with anticipation at the thought of plunging her dagger into the smuggler. She was now standing directly over him. She unsheathed the dagger and prepared to plunge it into the human. Suddenly, she froze. Her arms stiffened, her chest was burning as if on fire, and her throat seized up. Llaiir stumbled backward gasping for air. She ungracefully slammed against the wall on the right side of the room. The smuggler stopped staring at the ceiling and turned to directly face Llaiir. His green eyes were blazing with a focus and intensity that seemed impossible just a few seconds ago. He sat up, looked appraisingly at Llaiir and smiled.
“73 percent. That’s your chance. It was difficult making a poison that would have no effect on me but would be lethal to you when ingested.” His smiled widened. “73 percent was the best I could do on such short notice. I hope that kiss I gave you was worth it.”
Llaiir writhed in pain and attempted to will her body to attack the smuggler. He turned away from her and changed his poison drenched shirt for a clean one. “Normally, I’d be interested to see if my little concoction worked but there is still more work to be done.” He looked down at her and shook his head. “It should be interesting if you somehow manage to survive the next 36 hours of pain, burning, and dehydration. I’ve ordered the guard to seal this room after I leave and to let no one enter for another two cycles.” He leaned down next to her trembling body, looked her in the eyes, and winked. “You’ll let me know, won’t you?” He gave her a last kiss, got up, and began walking towards the door.
Llaiir screamed and through Herculean effort stood and attempted to lodge her dagger into the Smuggler’s back. He turned before she got within a meter of him and fired his Ferengi phaser at Llaiir’s shoulder, effectively severing it from the rest of her body. Llaiir screamed in pain and then collapsed on the floor unconscious. The smuggler simply shook his head, closed the door to his room, and headed towards the back door.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Maec was angry. He did not feel the same confidence about this mission that Llaiir did, but agreed to go along with it. Maec felt that she was underestimating the smuggler. After recent events you’d think that might have changed her perspective. Sadly, the Romulan propaganda machine had done its job too well.
Maec was getting annoyed, feeling as if he was waiting for nothing, when he heard a great deal of static over his concealed earpiece. “We have him!” cried a voice from within Maec’s ear. Maec’s eyes went wide. “How? I assure you, he did not pass me. Was Llaiir successful?” There was some further static and a short pause. “I have not heard from Llaiir. I shifted positions to cover the back door when she did not check in as scheduled. He was attempting to leave from the back door and I shot him in both of his legs to immobilize him. He collapsed and than I brought him behind the shrubbery on the south side of the Ziborian.” Maec sighed with relief and got up from the table. “I’ll be right there.”
Maec exited the building and sprinted towards his operative’s location. As he approached the scene he spotted a trail of blood and a body lying face down in the grass. The problem was that this blood was green, not the typical Human red. Maec stopped and grabbed his disrupter. It was instantly shot out of his hand. Maec heard someone approaching him from behind and froze.
“Don’t bother running, I’ve got you and you know it. You Romulans aren’t half bad. This should teach you to stay out of my business.”
Maec slowly turned and stared at the Human in disbelief. “Business… hmmm… I know when I have been beaten. I will not resist you. However, I can not return to the Romulan Empire. With my failure to catch you and my team dead, they will assume I have betrayed the Empire and I will die… slowly.” Maec now smiled. “However, you are no fool. We could come to some sort of business arrangement. There are any number of organizations that would pay top dollar for inside information on the Tal Sh…”
The smuggler shook his head and cut off Maec. “You think I give a damn. That’s cute.” He fired his phaser and blew a hole in Maec’s chest. Maec collapsed to the floor and began to cough up copious amounts of blood. He managed to stammer out one word. “Human…” The smuggler looked at Maec with unbridled curiosity and shrugged. “Whoever said I was Human?” Those were the last words Maec ever heard as the smuggler again fired his phaser directly at Maec’s head. Turning away from the corpse, the smuggler pocketed his phaser and took out a small device. The smuggler sighed as he appraised his work. He clicked a device hidden under his shirt. A moment later the smuggler’s body dissolved in a swirling yellow light taking him away from Alteron III.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.6 / 7 )Saturday, September 29, 2007, 05:32 PM - Gaming
Well... I just finished the single player campaign of Halo 3. Unfortunately, I just don't get the hype on this one. First off, I have played the two previous installments of Halo and Halo 2. I loved the original Halo but felt Bungie went a bit off track with Halo 2 by introducting way too much story than was necessary. They made the universe far more complicated and didn't tell the story the way it should have been told. Halo 3 seemed to try and find that center in between the two. The gameplay is mostly unchanged. I rarely used the equipment I was given because it just didn't seem necessary or all that useful. There were some great moments but nothing others haven't done before. The graphics were a dissapointment. There were some periods of slowdown, albeit brief. The story had quite a few holes. The Arbiter seemed pointless. The AI has some noticeable issues. I walked up to a number of enemies and they didn't even react to my presence. They were staring right at me! At least the game had a fitting ending.
I haven't given any time to the multiplayer yet but it looks ok. I just don't think it'll be a vast improvement over Halo 2. Forge could be awesome though but that's a tool that I think will take awhile before we see anything great come out of it. Hopefully a few hours on Xbox Live will change my mind in that regard.
GAME RATING: Worth a Rental. Only buy if you're a HALO fanatic or loved the multiplayer on Halo 2.
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 3.2 / 6 )Sunday, September 23, 2007, 07:47 PM - The Next Chapter
The Farian male guarding the third floor entryway into the Ziborian, a Syndicate run bar, never saw the dagger that plunged so neatly in his throat. Llaiir moved quickly up the ramp and retrieved her dagger from the now dead Farian and pushed him over the railing. She didn’t like skulking around the back entrance but with the death of most of her team she had little choice in the matter. Maec had entered through the front door of the establishment nearly an hour ago, posing as a patron, and their sole remaining operative was on station 1000 meters away with a sniper rifle pointed at the main exit. The plan was to capture the smuggler but if he eluded their grasp again they would kill him to avoid any further troubles. Before they vaporized him, the Ferengi informed them that the Human was apparently a frequent guest of this establishment and had a room in the VIP section.
Llaiir made her way into what passed for the ladies dressing room. There was an assortment of exotic females in varied states of dress around the room. Orions, Alterons, Farians, Caitians, Bajorans, and a few species she did not recognize. While Llaiir walked into an enclosed area and changed into something more suitable for the environment, she made a mental note to research the species she was not familiar with. No one gave her as much as a second glance as she made her way out of the dressing room and into the dark hallway leading into the VIP area. At the doors to the VIP area she was stopped by a large Orion bouncer. “I have never seen you before. What are you doing here?”
“I just started working here tonight.” Llaiir said in her most seductive tone and placed a hand on the Orion’s chest “Is there a problem? I was told I would have a shot at some of the high rollers in the VIP area.”
The Orion moved her hand away from his chest and rolled his eyes. “No. New girls go down to the bar. I have been told nothing about no exceptions for any girls so you can’t come in here.”
“I would be very very generous to you if you bent the rules just this once.” She tried caressing the Orion’s biceps but he rudely pushed her away and spat. “I do not like girls. No offense. After working here for so long you’re just not interesting. That’s why they put me in charge of you.”
Llaiir weighed her options. Seducing him wouldn’t work. Killing the Orion would cause a stir that may make her target flee. She decided to seek another method of entry into the VIP area and began to storm off. It was at that moment that a Human male crashed through the doorway of the VIP area into the hallway. He reeked of alcohol and grabbed at the Orion bouncer’s shirt in an attempt to keep from falling.
The Orion sighed. “Over here!’ he shouted. “You wanted a shot at one of the VIPs take this one to his room. He may like Romulans.” The Orion threw the Human male into Llaiir’s arms. As she focused on him she quickly realized that it was the smuggler they were seeking. Llaiir was typically guarded about her emotions but couldn’t help but smile at her good fortune. Thinking her enthusiasm was because she had a VIP to solicit, the Orion shouted at her “I expect a cut of your earnings for doing this for you! His room is 317. I expect you will take excellent care of him. He makes a lot of people money here.” Llaiir simply smiled at the Orion and helped carry the smuggler to room 317.
As they entered the room, Llaiir pushed the Human towards the bed face first and closed the door. He turned over and looked at her appraisingly. “You’re pretty. Never been with a Romulan before.” He jumped up, grabbed her forcefully, and kissed her deeply. Llaiir could taste whatever alcohol the Human had imbibed, and, in spite of her disgust, she kissed him back. She then pushed him onto the bed and smiled. “In a moment you’ll feel something you’ve never felt before.” As Llaiir grabbed at the back of her outfit, seemingly to disrobe, she instead was unsheathing the dagger she carried. The Human laughed and was now staring drunkenly at some fixed point in the ceiling blissfully ignorant of the torment Llaiir intended to unleash.[em}
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 4 / 6 )Saturday, September 22, 2007, 06:35 PM - Gaming
Just finished Heavenly Sword. It's ok but it is an extremely repetitive game. Little variety and what different game mechanics are offered seem tacked on. Nice story. High production values. Just not a great game. Also a few bugs and glitches here and there. Could have used some polish. With so few good PS3 exclusives to play it's not too bad. However, the amount of story that was advertised was sorely exaggerated.
GAME RATING: Worth a Rental. Don't waste your money on a purchase.
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 3.3 / 7 )Saturday, September 22, 2007, 09:43 AM - The Next Chapter
Maec eyed the rest of his infiltration squad wearily. Having been in the service of the Tal-Shiar for over twenty eight years, he has never known failure on this scale. Actually, Maec has never known failure which made this day one he doubted he would survive regardless of the outcome of their mission. His team of six was now down to two operatives. Maec’s comrades continued to regard him well enough. They have predictably found themselves on the only path of thought their training would allow them about their situation… denial. They resolutely believed hat it was simply the mistakes of their compatriots and chance that had led them to their precarious situation. Maec knew better.
Standing in the darkness of their seedy apartment on Alteron III, Maec began to wax philosophical about the entire affair. “In all my days in the service of the Romulan Empire I have always regarded Humans as the lowliest and most inept of creatures who merely survive due to an unfortunate joke the Universe is playing on us. Today is… sadly… not one of those days.”
Maec’s operatives’ stared at him in surprise. If their morale was low before, his somber mood was not going to help things. Llaiir, Maec’s second in command, stiffened and now stood ramrod straight. “He was lucky, there is no other explanation. We captured the other smuggler he was working with. He can lead us to the Human.” He stared at her as if she were the daughter he left behind on Romulus. Coldly. “Llaiir, the Human’s business lies in the trade of information. To survive his life is one of secrets. He found a way to gather top secret data on our manufacture of heavy weapons and has successfully found a buyer for this information all under the noses of the Tal-Shiar. We only caught wind of his dealings by mere happenstance and one drunken Orion. He has eluded the capture of an entire team of skilled Tal-Shiar operatives.” Maec’s voice was now dripping with sarcasm as he continued “Oh… and let’s not forget that he has managed to kill most of us. Do you honestly believe, after accomplishing all that he has accomplished that he would simply pass along vital information on his whereabouts to that" Maec shifted his gaze to the room next door and back to Llaiir “Ferengi trash.”
Llaiir’s confidence was shaken at this point but she soldiered on. “Until we have reason to believe otherwise, we should interrogate the Ferengi as soon as reasonably possib...” Maec waved his hand dismissively and turned his back on Llaiir. “Do as you feel is necessary. Advise me if you find anything of import.” Llaiir smiled, a cold fury burning in her eyes, she walked towards the next room and nodded to the other operative to follow her.
The room itself was sparse. There were some communications equipment arrayed around the room and a single table and chair in the center. The chair was currently occupied by their Ferengi prisoner. Llaiir grabbed an attaché case off the wall to her right and began to approach the Ferengi. She opened the attaché case on the table and displayed the assortment of devices the case contained. A series of brutally sharp and invasive devices were arranged neatly within the case. Had the Ferengi actually been awake it would have no doubt caused him to reveal any and all information he knew about the Human the Romulans sought. He also would have probably given them his personal code to all his accounts on Ferenginar if they promised to let him go unharmed. Fortunately, the Ferengi was still unconscious from the rather rude middle of the night kidnapping that led him to this sad state of affairs. Unfortunately, the hypospray that was just injected into the Ferengi’s neck would take him away from that blissful oblivion.
As the Ferengi returned to consciousness, his eyes quickly caught hold of the instruments that he knew would lead to his demise. Llaiir stared at the Ferengi with sickening anticipation. “You will tell us everything about the Human you were attempting to buy information from. The quicker you tell us. The quicker your pain will end. Personally, I’m hoping you try to be brave, that would be very unlike your species and so I am resigned to a certain degree of disappointment.” Her hands moved so quickly the Ferengi never saw the sharp instrument that was plunged into the major nerve cluster in his chest. He wasn’t even given the chance to make a deal. This is where the screaming begins.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.8 / 8 )Saturday, September 22, 2007, 09:42 AM - Announcements
Things are going to get interesting... Sometimes things just come full circle.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3.4 / 7 )
