Parker: Captured

Scene: Lecrae III surface, Away Team Beta

Only after Russ had had his sidearm confiscated and pointed back at him by the prettiest blonde he'd ever seen did he fully realize what was happening.

The group of what had seemed like passing strangers had instantly become hostiles less than a second after Mallyn introduced himself to Commander Kumani. Before she could lay a hand on her weapon, Mallyn had a knife at her throat. Though every officer knew the XO could probably snap his neck in a single motion, the away team was too separated to react with anything but a calculated surrender. They had become too relaxed during their orienteering and lulled into a false sense of security by the complimentary Lacraens, and were forced to wait for a better opportunity to respond in kind.

It was obvious this place along the road had been chosen for the away team's abduction. A personnel truck appeared from a behind a treeline a short distance away, as well as several other people carrying various weapons. They appeared to be a sort of ragtag militia, but that isn't what the Arapaho officers noticed the most: none of these individuals had the fashionable clothes, the impossible hairstyles, or the beautiful features most humanoid species find desirable in both genders. These were plain, ordinary folk.

Russ felt himself being prodded forcefully in the back, and realized it was probably Jed's phaser. Based on the weapons being toted by the locals, it was easy to deduce that while the Lecraens did have energy-based weapons technology, they probably wouldn't be able to change the phaser from its standard stun setting without some experimenting. For the moment, the team's lives weren't in immediate danger.

Everyone was ordered to move with their hands above their heads toward the truck, which had stopped a few meters away. By now there were a dozen or more armed Lacraens, too many for the away team to take out cleanly. Russ made a mental note to suggest bringing a Klingon or two for the next away mission. Everyone's hands were bound behind their backs, and bags made of coarsely woven material placed over their heads. As the back of the truck opened, Russ heard the sound of liquid swishing in a glass container and smelled something volatile before his head was held and something pressed over his face.

Then the world went black.

Ensign Russ Parker
Operations Officer
USS Arapaho

Parker: Orientation

Scene: Deck 13, Recycling Plant

  

Russ took quick notes while Traamon walked him through the last day's orientation of the ship's Operations systems. Although the Screean had only been on board a handful of months, he was the only officer in the Ops department, and had had to learn most of his duties through technical manuals and scribbled notes from the long-gone Chief of Ops, a scattered Bajoran.

"THIS IS THE WASTE STREAM PROCESSOR," Traamon shouted over the loud machinery. "IT TAKES EVERYTHING FROM GALLEY SCRAPS TO REPLICATOR MALFUNCTIONS TO CREW WASTE AND TURNS IT BACK INTO ENERGY. I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN SIMILAR SYSTEMS BEFORE. I CAN GO OVER THE SCHEMATICS WITH YOU BACK IN THE POD."

"GOT IT," Russ shouted back, "WHAT IS THAT SMELL?"

Russ thought back to his first day. Walking into the main Operations Control room, Traamon had welcomed him to 'The Ops Pod.' True to the nickname, the room was large and oval-shaped, with stations to control everything from weapon and shield power distribution, the main deflector dish, replicators, gravity plating, life support, turbolifts, internal communications, transporters, and auxiliary and backup systems. Most of the stations were empty, all having been long since rerouted to the supervisor's panel, which could also be controlled from the Bridge. The workspaces were cluttered with reports, notes, and manuals. Judging by what he'd seen so far, Russ could tell Traamon was clearly gifted intellectually, but had a long way to go in housekeeping skills. Because of what he'd heard about Screean males, Russ decided to let it ride until he'd established a good rapport with Traamon. The rapport was well into solidifying, but since that first day Russ found out first hand why nothing was put away: there was simply too much work to do.

The two officers were rounding a corner toward the compartment hatch when Russ accidentally kicked over a large bucket beneath a leaking framework of pipe. He said an expletive he thought would be inaudible in the din.

"YEP, THAT'S WHAT IT IS," Traamon responded. The men laughed. "HANG ON, I'LL GET A COUPLE MOPS."

Ensign Russ Parker

Operations Officer

USS Arapaho