David Foss

(RP on) 04:00 hrs, 19th May, 3008 SS Vulture Medibay What to do, what to do? Damn it, I was tired. Still a lot to do, unfortunately. This situation with my new patient wasn't making things any easier. I went over to the console monitoring his vitals. What little information about his phych profile did my precious little good. All I had to go on was the merc's report, and the comments from the medical staff. I began humming an old tune from my youth. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I looked up to see the youngest member of the staff staring at me with undisguised amusement. Naturally, I stopped as soon as I noticed her stare. Big mistake. That meant I had to cover for the blunder. Clearing my throat as quietly as I could (not very), I hastily made some instructions off the top of my head. "Ensign?" "Yes, Commander Foss?" I quickly glanced at the displays, frantically trying to find something for her to do. "Wold seems to have a phobia with clinics. I want him moved to room..." I checked the ship schematics for a moment, looking for a room with the necessary space. "14g, deck 1 as soon as you finish setting that broken arm." "Yes, sir." It finally occurred to me that she was the only one who hadn't reacted with slight annoyance when I had come into the medical bay with orders from Blades stating that I was the new CMO. I was too tired to deal with Wold right away. His life wasn't in immediate danger, and I had to think about what to do with this genetic "tinkering" that he had gone through. I left the medibay, heading back to my quarters. I wasn't more than five steps away when the door opened a second time. "Commander Foss, sir!" a voice called out. I turned to see the same young medico. She quickly shoved a datapad into my hands. "It's my report, sir. I forgot to give it to you when you were looking through Wold's profile." She seemed unusually nervous, all of a sudden. Her voice had dropped to almost a whisper. It didn't dawn on me that she was giving me a hint to read it right away. Probably because I was too tired. "Thank you, Ensign. I'll take a look at it in the morning." "It is morning, sir." She said simply, then turned and went back into the medical bay. I returned to my quarters and tossed the pad onto the table. I was about to turn away when two words and one number caught my attention in big red letters: Urgent - Priority 1. Well, this was certainly interesting. It also could only mean one thing: Bad news. I picked up the pad and started looking through the report. I didn't have to read it for long. I reached over and toggled the comm switch. "Foss to bridge, I need to speak with the communications officer..." 0507 hrs, 19th May, 3008 SS Vulture Medibay The mercenary, Lieutenant, for sake of arguement, Darren Ashton, stood in front of the desk, looking somewhat uncomfortable, which was fine with me. The entry from the bridge comm system ran through a third time before I shut it off. "I have a simple question for you, Lieutenant." I said, calmly. "Did you or did you not order one of the mercs to kill Commander Wold?" "I thought he might be a danger to the medical staff, sir." I shook my head, not taking my eyes off him. "That's not what I asked. I didn't ask what you thought, I asked what you said! Did you or did you not give the order to kill Commander Wold?" "Yes, sir, I did. I don't know what to say, sir. I guess I lost my head for a moment." I nooded, then stood slowly. "I see. Well, as a medical doctor in any capacity, you should know that we cannot allow ourselves to lose our heads. It often gets people killed, you see." "Yes, sir." "As for me, aye, I've lost my head one or two times in my youth. But that was before I became a doctor. Before I took the Hippocratic Oath." "I just..." I interrupted him before he could attempt to feed me another line of "I'm sorry, sir." "I don't want to see that kind of behavior again, do you understand, Liuetenant Ashton?" He composed himself quite admirably for one so young. "Yes, sir." "Good. I won't lie to you, Mr. Ashton. It will be some time before I can trust you again. Nevertheless, I'm willing to give it a try if you are." "Of course, sir." "Dismissed." Ashton left the room. Damn, I didn't trust him. I couldn't explain why, but I just didn't trust him. All I had to go on were the words from the comm system and the Ensign's report. I couldn't suspend him from duty just for that. After all, it had been an unusually dangerous situation. A genetically enhanced human in a berserker rage was not exactly something to be taken lightly. For a moment, I forgot how tired I was. I activated the terminal on my desk and called up Commander Minako's profile. I read through it for hours, memorizing every detail. I don't know how long the young ensign was standing in front of my desk, but the grin on her face told me that I'd been auditioning for the concert hall again. "I think you missed your calling, sir. You should have been a singer." Sighing, I decided to roll with it this time, rather than dodging it. "Humming a tune is far different from actually singing it, Ensign." I said, reaching over to shut down the terminal. "Ashton is a good MA, sir. He just gets a little carried away, sometimes." "Why were you so nervous in the corridor, Ensign?" I asked. "I just..." She turned away for a moment. "I just don't want to be the one to hand in a report that gets someone fired." "Ensign..." "Kate, sir. My name is Kate Donalds." "Kate, if you hadn't handed in that report, there is the very real possibility that his actions could have repeated themselves. While it is still a danger, it is far less than if I hadn't known at all." That seemed to calm her down a bit. She at least managed a smile. Then, whatever force it was that had kept me going for so long, simply vanished. I slumped down in the chair. Kate rushed over and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Sir, it's 11:00. You've been up all night. Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." I managed a tired smile. "It is morning." I said. She smiled, then helped me to my feet. I stumbled to my quarters, and flopped down on the bed. I didn't even bother to change. Now, depending on your point of view, this is a good thing and a bad thing. From the professional point of view, it is a good thing. Having one's uniform on ensures that they do not have to put it on later. As a result, one can be on-station in less time. From the personal point of view, it is a bad thing, because it gives one less time to wake up before one is on-station. From my point of view, it was very bad. Had I taken the time to change, Murphy probably would have left the ship alone. Unfortunately, he's not so kind. I was just starting to drift to sleep when an all too familiar sound ripped through the air... Combat Alarm Status. Damn! I bolted upright, the aching of my body gone in an instant along with the fatigue. I bolted out of bed to get my uniform on. Then I remembered that I hadn't taken it off. The ship jolted hard, and I barely managed to bring my arm up to stop my head from hitting the console... on the other side of the bed. It did me some good. The last of the cobwebs faded from my mind. "What next?" I shouted. Damn, but I should never have done that. Five seconds, as usual. Five seconds after that thought, the alarms changed. They didn't shut off, no. No, it couldn't be so simple. No, they changed! Not the good kind of change, either. It was the bad kind of change. The kind of change that tells you that things have just gone from worse to ****storm. General Quarters had just been sounded. Then, that oh-so-wonderful phrase rang across the deck. "All personel, prepare to repel boarders!" Prepare. Hah! Preparing is something one does before things go as they had just gone. The first shots echoed outside my door not a second after the announcement. I opened the door to see - oddly enough - nothing. No signs of combat anywhere. The sounds were there, but nothing else was. There were going to be a lot of people in the medibay soon enough, though. It was time I got there... 11:14 hrs, 19th May, 3008 SS Vulture Near Medibay Weapons lockers are wonderful. A wristlaser and standard pistol were my best friends. I'd made it through the warzone in record time. Actually, I hadn't happened upon any fighting, which was odd. Ensign Kate rushed around the corner. "Sir, we're being boarded! We've got wounded incoming..." I don't know what the rest of her sentence was. Funny thing about mistakes. People do a lot to prevent them from happening again. In this case, I did damn near everything to prevent it. Over Kate's shoulder, down the corridor, I saw a single Gammulan soldier taking aim. Straight for her back. I'd seen this game before. I also reacted a lot quicker. Eight years ago, I'd lost my best friend to this sort of situation. Without hesitation, I grabbed the tunic of her uniform and threw her to the side with my free hand... Just as the soldier fired. The shot would have hit her. Instead, it hit me. The movement of throwing her across the hall had pressed me into the wall. Instead of hitting me dead center, the shot lanced through my side. I must have dropped the weapon. Either that, or Ms. Donaldson was a professional pickpocket. The pistol was in her hand. A pickpocket she may have been, but a soldier she was not. She hesitated. I didn't. I still had the wristlaser, and the bolt found it's way straight into the head of the Gam soldier. Another kill to my extensive collection. The shot from the Gam rifle slammed into the bulkhead just above her head. It was a close call. "You alright, ensign?" "Yes!" She shouted, confidently enough, but she was shaking like a leaf. She helped me into the medibay, then sat me down on a bed. Before she could administer treatment, the first casualties started flooding in. It was triage time, and I could wait. The shot had cauterized the wound. Some were serious, others weren't. It quickly became apparent, however, that the medical bay wouldn't hold the number of casualties that would be brought in. After a few minutes, the fighting stopped. The last Gammulans had either fled or been killed. Unfortunately, the real work had just begun. Then, I got the call that I feared most. It wasn't the call itself, but rather, the person who made the call. It was Reynolds. Not Savage, not Rattler. Reynolds. "Foss, we got wounded up here. I need you up here, stat." "On my way." Ensign Donaldson stepped in front of me. "Sir, I can't let you leave. Your wound..." "Can wait, Ensign. There are people up there who need my help, and they are going to get it without delay." "What about the people here?" "They are in your capable hands, Kate. You know your job better than anyone." She glowed with pride. Or maybe she was blushing with embarrassment. In either case, she stopped fussing. Three medics nearby looked uncertain as to what to do. I walked over, and, ignoring the pain, grabbed a stretcher. I pointed to each of them in turn. "You two, stretchers, you, trauma kit. We're heading to the bridge." They hesitated, damn them. "I said get two stretchers and a trauma kit! MOVE!" (RP off) Whew! Finally caught up! Blades, can you send me an e-mail when you get back? I need to know what the specific injuries are, or do you just want me to wing it? ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

Fiction. It's meant to be a description of your character in the game. The orionfleet address isn't configured yet, so you can send it to [email protected] whenever it's ready. ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

Welcome to the fleet, Epsilon 5! You've got the right attitude through and through. I think I'm going to enjoy working with you. Whenever you join the RP forums, I'd like it if you could send me a character bio. That goes for everyone else in the DBG. I think it's time I started learning about those under my command! ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!' [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 02-17-2001).]

Sorry, guys. This is just a placeholder. An emergency has had me swamped with work all week long. However, I'm going back to my normal routine tonight, so I will either revise this post in 8 hours, or I will revise it tomorrow. Again, sorry for the delay. Wold, you are one MEAN insurgent, trapping me with a situation like this! Though personally, I enjoy reading the longer posts. Just to let you know, I am enjoying the little ethical dilemma you have placed before me. I'll deal with it, don't worry I had a response typed up before you posted this, but I think I'll enjoy dealing with this situation even better ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

(RP on) Blades came around the corner, on his way to the head, it seemed, when he finally saw me. He must not have recognized me for a moment, as he looked about ready to call for one of the mercenaries to have me shot. Good thing he recognized me a second later. "Foss, how the hell did you get into this section?" "Trust me, sir, you don't want to know." "What are you doing here? I thought my orders were clear!" I shrugged. "Well, since you made us all civilians, it can't really be termed as an order, sir. However, that's not why I'm here, and if you want to find out before I get shot on sight, I strongly suggest that we talk in private somewhere. Now." A look of annoyance flashed across the Orion Fleet Commander's face. Finally, he nodded, and gestured for me to follow. He led me to the ready room. The door closed behind us, and he turned, his face in mine. "You'd better have one hell of a good explanation, Foss, and make it fast! If anyone else saw you, I could have a mutiny within the hour!" "Frankly, sir, you'll be lucky to have a ship in an hour if you don't listen to me right now." That stopped him. I could tell he was interested now. I took the liberty of pacing around the small room. "There's a funny thing about medical records, sir. The computers occasionally have trouble logging the current status of various patients. In particular, military officers. It's been known to happen in the past, that an officer would be discharged before a doctor has officially released them. Those inconsistencies are fairly easy to spot, because there is one thing that a computer can't mess up on. It's also something that can't be hacked into." Blades wasn't following. "What does this have to do with anything?" I continued, not answering his question. "What cannot be hacked into are the psyche evaluations, which each officer must pass before they can be released. Every medical computer was upgraded with a new program to look for a psyche evaluation on each Galcom officer that is in a given facility. If it does not find one, or an evaluation that clearly shows an officer is unfit for duty, they won't be released by accident." "Foss," Blades said, his voice low and dangerous. "If you don't get to the point real quick, I'll throw you out the airlock myself!" "I checked Akuma's file before I left for this little rendezvous. I noticed something rather odd." Blades' face was deadpan. "Really. What was that?" I shot him a look. "You want me to spell it out? Fine! There's no way that Rattler could have gotten her out of there. That leaves one person. You pulled the string, this time. You had the doc release Akuma into your custody, then file a fake report saying that she had passed the psyche evaluation and was fit for duty. The problem is that you and her left a full hour before that evaluation was logged into the computer. The error has been corrected, and there's no trace of it now. I only know because I was keeping an eye on her, and I covered your arse by not telling anyone higher up." Blades turned away, not saying a word. "Sir, she is not fit to be serving aboard the bridge of this ship. She tried to kill herself, for crying out loud! You may have cleared her as far as the paperwork goes, but the fact still remains that she is not fit for duty!" Nothing. Not a peep. I decided to try plan B. "Did you have some problem on the way over here, sir?" He turned around, and looked me in the eyes with a questioning gaze. "What? No, we didn't. What does that have to do with anything?" I nodded, casually turning away. I examined an imaginary rust mark on the wall. "I was just wondering where she got the scar on her hand." I'll be damned if he didn't find that one interesting! Through the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen abruptly. "What the hell are you talking about, Commander?" I tossed the item, which landed squarely in his hand. He looked at it for a moment, but not long enough to identify it. "What's this?" "It's a tissue regenerator. Don't ask how I got it. You don't want to know that, either. It's used to treat burns, mostly." "How do you know she didn't just go to the medical bay when she got aboard? She had time before the briefing." "Well, the thing is that anyone with more than three years of medical experience can handle them flawlessly. You could always check with your medical staff. But if you've got someone on your medical team who is capable of the mistakes I saw, fire them." "What are you talking about, Foss?" "The academy's Accelerated Command Training Program is designed to get soldiers into a command position as fast as possible. You may recall that I was one of the first people to take that program." He nodded. "I was the chief medical officer aboard the Kev's Star before I was asked to take that program. It covers basic medical skills, designed to crudely put someone back together until a medical team can arrive. It doesn't cover reconstructive surgery. There are small, but noticeable mistakes that inexperienced people make with that instrument. Not life threatening, and the only reason I noticed it is because I know what to look for. Seeing as there are no medics on Orion capable of making that kind of mistake, and there was no mention of any permanent scaring anywhere on her body, I can only assume that this is recent. It's something that happened after you left Orion HQ. Or, at the very least, after she was discharged. Not only that, but there was clearly no attempt to have the tissue repaired properly." I turned around, facing him again. "She did a good enough job that no one would notice unless they knew what to look for, which means that she didn't want anyone to know about it!" "So what do you expect me to do about it, Foss? I can't just..." I wasn't ready to let him take control of the conversation without saying everything. "Hear me out, sir. The problem with the ACTP is that it invariably puts people in command who have had little, if any command experience. They are usually just as new to the idea of combat as well. This is an even worse situation, sir. This is not only an officer who is inexperienced, but she has also been reinstated to active duty, officially or otherwise, without a proper medical evaluation. That is, so far, the greatest danger to this operation." "So, what do you suggest, then, Dr. Foss?" "I don't know what your medical staff is like, sir. But I do know that I won't be able to handle being a civilian. That hasn't sat well with me since my parents were killed. And besides that, the bottom line is that you need someone in that medical bay who can clear Akuma for active service. I don't know about the medical staff you have aboard this ship, sir, but I'm pretty sure they aren't Galcom. I am certified to conduct psyche evaluations, and all examinations required to determine an officer's physical and mental fitness for duty." "You're asking me to make you the CMO of this ship." "Yes, sir. That's exactly what I'm asking." "And if we get into serious trouble, how do I know that you'll work just as hard to save an Insurgent's life as a Galcom officer's?" For a moment, I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. Putting my feelings aside, I answered in as simple a way as I could. "I've taken the Hippocratic oath, sir. You know my feelings about the Insurgents. I'm as tired of this cold war as everyone else is. If I weren't interested in helping out for the greater good, sir, I wouldn't be here talking to you. It doesn't matter to me if they are Insurgent or Galcom. If someone's bleeding when they enter my medical bay, I do everything I can to keep them alive. I may have spent the last eight years out of the loop, sir, but only a fool would assume that I didn't keep up with the developments in medical research. Rest assured, sir, I won't let you down on this mission. I know as well as you do that we can't allow this war to escalate." He sighed, then lowered his head a moment, weighing the consequences. After a moment, he looked back up at me. "All right, Foss. I'll let you have it on one condition." "Name it, sir." He fixed me with a no-nonsense stare. "You get Akuma back on her feet before this mission gets ugly." "You've got it, sir. In fact, I've already got an idea for that. Do you have any records from the Gammulan invasion eight years ago?" "Yes... I thought this was an evaluation, not a history lesson." "Trust me. What about records from the Deterrence's first mission?" "I don't think so. A majority of that... mission... was classified by security. I don't like the idea of having some merc dig up information on that." "No problem." I said simply. "What have you got in mind?" I merely smiled... (RP off) This post was cleared with Blades. I think I'm making a comeback so far ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

Well, Akuma, Akira (gotta love these names) may not suspect that you were directly involved... yet. You may not be in as much trouble as you think. Or at least, not as much trouble from him! (RP on) The briefing was over, and I'd been wandering the very few halls that we "civilians" were permitted access to for so long that I'd lost track of time. It might as well have been several hours. As it turned out, it had only been about ten minutes. Deep thought will do that to a person. I was tired of waiting. Blades had left without a word, and what I had to say was too important to wait. To me, it was important enough that getting shot would be a small price to pay. I left the stateroom and walked down the hall. I reached the point of no return, where the "civilians" were not allowed to go... And crossed the line. (RP off) Just a small post for now. I'll send you the big one in a few hours, Blades. Please take a look and let me know if it is satisfactory. Feels good to be back! ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!' [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 01-21-2001).] [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 01-21-2001).]

Reporting for duty, sir! ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

(RP) I watched the entire scene. The outbursts, the silent cries for mutiny. Blades had not been himself through this entire briefing. Which meant it wasn't a trap. I had noticed Commander Miller's uneasy glances around the room. His eyes had passed right over me. If he did recognize me, he had done a superb job of hiding it. It was amazing what a little hair and eye coloring could do to cover one's true identity. Akuma Minako entered the room, and I noticed, for a second time, the scar tissue on her hand. No first year medical student could mishandle a tissue generator like that. Only one with basic training. Any commander who had gone through the Accelerated Command Training Program with no previous medical experience could make that mistake. Her record indicated no previous medical experience. The Orion station records showed no official discharge until after she had been logged as leaving the station, and phych evaluations weren't submitted for an hour after that. Right now, on Orion, Akuma was free and clear as far as the paperwork was concerned. No psych evaluation after she had tried to kill herself, and here she was in the briefing room. Definately Blades' style. There was no way in hell that I was going to allow this to continue. The scar tissue on her hand hadn't been mentioned at all in the medical logs on Orion. This was something new. Why would she burn her hand and not get it treated properly? Simple: She didn't want anyone to know about it. To the untrained eye, there was no damage at all, unless one looked really close. On the other hand, I had far more medical experience. I knew what to look for. I made eye contact with Blades. He stared for a second or two, then addressed Akuma for a moment. His eyes drifted back to mine, long enough for me to send one of those patented "we-need-to-talk-immediately-but-don't-call-me-by-name" looks. Not ten minutes from now, or five, or one... right away. If there were any doubts as to whether or not I was David Foss, they had just been eliminated. /RP I'm in a better position as far as final projects go. I'm back! Blades, I'll send you that bio later tonight. It's still incomplete, but I'll send you what we've got. ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!' [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 12-04-2000).]

Seven words and one number: I hate having 7 courses in one semester! (RP) 1125, 18th May, 3008 Bacon? Bacon and eggs? Real bacon and eggs? I opened my eyes, sure at last that I wasn't dreaming. Getting out of bed, I quickly got dressed. Sarah was preparing her specialty, all right. Some may think that baccon and eggs is a basic meal, but they've never had her bacon and eggs. She was just serving two plates as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why didn't you wake me?" She looked up in surprise, nearly dropping the last plate. "For crying out loud, David, don't sneak up on me like that! I was trying to surprise you." "Aye. Well, you should know by now that you can't surprise me with this. It's too good to sleep through." She laughed as she looked at the clock. "Ten minutes. Pretty soon you'll be getting up as soon as I start cooking them." Breakfast went off without a hitch. Then, as I knew it would, the day came to a grinding halt. Unfortunately, I'd had to program it that way. The message vanished from the screen, and I turned to her. "Sarah, I need to borrow your shuttle." If life had been a cartoon, her jaw would have smashed through the floor. She gaped at me, and it took a few moments for her to form a coherent sentence. "You... You need to borrow my shuttle?" Mine is undergoing maintenance, and I've been called back to duty. They need me back at the Starbase. She looked down, the disappointment showing plainly on her face. "There is nothing I can do to convince you to let McKay do this, is there?" "Only if you can convince Karl. Hell, even then, I don't think McKay would go along with it." She smiled, but it was a forced one at best. "You're probably right. All right, take her. But if you scratch her, you'll be in ICU for the next hundred years!" "I'll bring her back with a complete overhaul, how's that?" Now the smile was genuine. "Agreed." I leaned close, and gave her a long kiss, one which she did not pull away from. In fact, it turned into an embrace that lasted close to a minute. "I'll talk to you in a few days. As soon as I find out what's going on." "Just don't get yourself killed, David." "I won't..." I turned to head for the spaceport. God, I hated to lie to her. I'd placed fake orders in the database and set an automatic deletion on them. There would be no record. I was going on a black ops mission, the worst kind. I hated to lie and I hated to go into a mission with no idea what to expect. It was entirely possible that I was walking into a trap. Someone could have faked the FC's command codes and gained access to the system, sending a fake message that would delete all traces of itself. For all I knew, I could be walking into a trap. The question was, who set it... and why? The shuttle flew up from the surface of Earth, and headed directly for Pixan... (/rp) Well, Foss is finally on his way. If it interests anyone, the placeholder I had on the first page has finally been filled. It's my last post on that page. ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!' [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 10-22-2000).]

A whole three days early! Better hope Foss tracks Kirin down before the other guy ! (RP on) 15:07 hrs, 15th May, 3008 Spaceport somewhere on Earth... "David!" I recognized the voice as one Sarah Ellingson, just before she practically tackled me. It took me a moment to regain my composure as she just about knocked me over. "It's been a while, sailor!" She said with a mischievous grin. "That it has. I say we celebrate." 20:07 hrs, 17th May, 3008 Sarah Ellingson's quarters I've been in the military for too long. I can't even enter a house without thinking of it as nothing more than unusually large quarters. The place was huge. Even so, I didn't have long to appreciate it's beauty. I had been thinking of Kirin and where he could have gone. Sure enough, Murphy was staring over my shoulder. Five seconds after that thought, my wristcomm beeped. "Foss hee." "Sir, this is station security, Lieutenant Ishanowa. You asked us to track down one Lieutenant Commander Kirin?" "Aye, what have you found." "Well, we were unable to find any record of his officially departing the station. However, we've practically turned this place upside down, and there's no sign of him." "Anything else?" "Yes, sir. We are also short one shuttle." That caught me by surprise. "Do you think Kirin might have taken it?" "I suppose so, sir. It's possible. If it's any interest to you, our sensor logs show that the shuttle in question was heading for the Sirius wormhole." Sirius. And in that system was Pixan Starstation. Well, this was just perfect. If I was right, it ment that our second in command of the Tenchi had either went AWOL, or he had received the same message I had. Or he was part of the trap. "Thanks, Lieutenant. Keep looking for him. I'll try to track down the shuttle myself. If I find anything, I'll let you know." "Sir, the shuttle had been gone for two days. How do you intend on finding it?" "I have an idea where it might be. Just leave it to me." "Aye, sir. Good luck." "Same to you, Lieutenant. Commander Foss out." Sarah came up beside me. "What was that all about?" I turned to face her. "They haven't been able to find Kirin. One of their shuttles has gone missing, and I think he was aboard it. Where he took off to is anybody's guess. I'll head out tomorrow to investigate." "Where are you going to start?" "I don't know." I lied. "I suppose I'll start at Orion HQ. That's where this whole mess began." "All right, but do it tomorrow, okay? It's getting late." I wasn't going to argue, especially given the smile she gave me. But still, something about this whole meeting didn't add up. I had been given a message three days before the appointed time, presumabely to find some kind of alternate transportation. This was rediculous. Things had better become clear and they had better do so pretty freakin' quick. (/rp) ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!' [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 10-22-2000).]

The situation with Kirin was being dealt with, Akuma. In fact, this post was going to finish that whole situation. I'll have to think of something. We'll get Kirin out of that situation, though... presuming there is anything left to deliver to Akuma. If not, then cool As for the badge, I'll explain it. And, without further delay, I introduce a second character (not full-time). (RP) 13:45 hrs, 15th May, 3008 Starbase Shuttle enroute to Pixan I must have been drinking the night before. Three days away from the rendezvous, and I was already heading there? Why was I so anxious to go to a place that I hated? Spending three days there would likely have me spotted, and that info would doubtless reach the ears of one Kristen McKay before this... whatever it was... meeting, I guess, was over. On the other hand, if I simply reversed course, it would make it almost impossible to sneak out a second time. The answer was not forthcoming, but the solution sure was. Indeed, as I thought about it, it seemed more an more likely that the answer to why I had left early was the embodiment of that solution. I leaned forward, opening a private link. "This is Commander Foss to Doctor Sarah Ellingson, please respond." It took a few moments before she responded, but before I realized it, I was staring at the woman who had so fully captured my attention for the past two years. "Do you ever stop being formal, David?" She asked, not bothering to hide the frustration in her voice. She was not completely upset at me, but clearly, she still wished I would say hello, first. "Not when it's important, Sarah. Did you talk to Kirin?" "Yes, I did. You were right to think it was him. He agreed, though I have yet to check up on her. He didn't seem too thrilled when I relayed your message. Kirin up and disappeared about an hour ago. I'm trying to track him down, but I've had no luck, so far." "Better to leave security to something like that. Leave a message with Station security to inform us when they've located him." "Us?" She asked, startled. "Aye. I've got something planned. Meet me at the spaceport. A little spur of the moment activity. It's been a while since we were in the same room together." She blushed faintly, then cut off the link. I let forth a small grin as I reprogrammed the route into the shuttle for a direct course to Earth. If she left Orion Starstation now, she should just be able to make it. (/rp) My way of passing the three days between the receipt of the message and the meeting time. For the record, Blades, when this whole thing is about to be wrapped up, let me know before the thread closes ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

(RP) TO: David Foss FROM : Fleet Commander Savage SUBJECT : SPECIAL OPS Commander, The following is FYEO. This message will autodelete itself in 60 seconds and will leave no records in your database. We need to meet to discuss a matter of the utmost urgency. You are to make every effort to travel to the Pixan Starstation and meet with myself, and another representative on board the SS Vulture at 23:30 hrs, 18th May 3008. Come alone and unescorted. USE alternative methods of transportation to reach your destination, and tell no one of your movements, or whereabouts. All will be revealed shortly. End Communication. Well, this just beat everything right out the window. The message was still seared into my eyes as I attempted to wake myself. Even though there was no record of the message in the computer anymore, I thought it would be burned into my retina forever. Pixan. God, I hate Pixan. And McKay? What would she think, me taking off without a word? She'd probably throw a fit, steal the Deterrence, and make a mission out of finding me... all so she could have the pleasure of whining (more like the scream of a banshi) at me about how I'd made her worry. Well, I would find out when I got back... If I got back. The shuttle shot away from Orion Starstation, and I began the journey to Pixan. (/RP) Sorry for the short intro. I've now been up for 28 hours straight. I'm going to bed now My brain's fried. If I can think of anything more to post, I will do so tomorrow. That additional info will include a revision that will include a timestamp. ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'This far, no farther!'

Well, Greg, given that most of the ships are not quite up to specs... I know of at least one ship that hasn't a scratch on her... yet. The Deterrence is ready anytime. ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk

For the... Um, let's see... Yes... SIXTH TIME... Has this motto been approved? "This Far, No Farther!" Blades, Greg, can you please let me know? ------------------ Commander David Foss GCV - Deterrence, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS) Wing Leader, Deterrence Battle Group www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk

The motto for the DBG is contained in the logo that I sent you. "This far, no farther" ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

I thought I sent the logo to you, Blades. I'll grab the file tonight and send it tomorrow after class. BTW, I can't find the link for your radio station. Akuma told me about it, and I'll be darned if I miss a show while I'm out here! ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

If there's still room, count me in, Blades. I'll see to it that I do better than in the PE thread this time ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

(RP) "Sir, we're receiving orders from Fleet Commander Savage. We're to form up and provide support to the Tsunami. They're heading toward the Tenchi at full speed as we speak." I frowned. I hadn't expected that. Why would he be moving so fast? There were a few reasons, but one of them stood out over all the others... He couldn't be intending to... could he? Absolutely! "Comms, open a coded channel to Fleet Commander Savage immediately!" (/RP) These are short mainly due to the fact that I have had little free time lately. This situation will be remedied within a week or two. I will still post, but they will mostly be brief. Blades, I need to talk to you about a conversation I intend to have with you in short order about Akuma. I will contact you asap. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

(RP) "We are approaching the jump point, sir." Berringston said. "Standing by for jump." It was right about then that the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I think that the pure obsurdity of the situation was finally catching up to Yours Truly. There was no way that this sort of thing should be happening unless there was something else involved. Of course, it could happen if I were dealing with a very naive Commander, something that Akuma had very well shown herself to be. But no one could be this naive, could they? It didn't really matter. Whether she was or not, it was still a dangerous situation that we could be entering into. It could be getting worse by the minute, and may already be a hundred times worse than I was thinking. "Radiation containment crews, stand by. Engage cloak. Berringston, take us in." "Aye, sir." The Deterrence vanished, emerging seconds later in the Jupiter Region. I'm not exactly sure what I expected to find upon our arrival in Jupiter. What we did find, however, was a lot worse than any optimistic idea that my mind had managed to come up with, though. (/RP) Well, I have finally arrived under cloak. This should be interesting. I would present a sitrep, and for the record, I have arrived just after Akuma's last post, naturally. I have to bolt for work now, however. Ciao, and will reply to whatever happens between now and when I get home. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

(RP) Man, I hoped Savage wouldn't have me brought up on charges for what I was about to do. I remembered the first time that I went charging into a possibly dangerous situation. Old habits die hard, I guess. Back then I had almost been thrown out of GalCom alltogether. It was only the last words of a certain Commander Savage that kept me in. I owed him for that. Though "in" as it was consisted of running local patrols for almost five years. Shortly after Commander Savage received a promotion and orders to take over the Orion Fleet, he'd seen it fit to promote me to the Deterrence Battle Group. God knows why. Maybe he figured I needed a change of scenery. After all, it was the excuse he'd given me. Did I buy it? Absolutely! Sometimes I'm not very bright. After all, here we were, almost fifteen years from the date of that terrible mistake. And here I was, possibly about to make a similar mistake again. "We don't have time to wait for orders from Savage. I'll probably end up in the brig for this, but I'll be damned if I let Commander Miller fry her by himself!" I said. One jump away from Jupiter... I hoped everything would at least be marginally okay. Not like we were going to run into Raiders or anything. I shouldn't have said that... (/RP) Blades, if you have any problems regarding the history mentioned above, let me know and I will revise it. Please let me know either way, though. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

Please note, this is just after the Sark was dispatched. Just after Blades' blowup... and yes, I intended the first sentence to be the same what?" I asked furiously. "You heard me." McKay said cooly. "She left without orders. You have a copy of the subsequent message in your hands, sir. I think it's fairly clear." It was clear, all right. A commander deliberately drinking while on duty. Not only that, but an entire crew minus a communications officer who were getting drunk... On duty! No sooner did I receive the order to report to Orion station in order to escort the GCV Tenchi back to Vanguard than I found out that her commander, one Akuma Minako, was nowhere on the station! She'd gone AWOL and, not only that, but so had her ship! I made a mental note to have a chat with the officer that had let her ship just waltz off without orders like that! My last orders to her had been fairly simple. Continue with local patrols until further orders were given. The english translation was "wait for further orders." Well she somehow, against all odds, misinterpreted those orders. How one interprets "wait for further orders" as "go ahead and do whatever you want on a ship that hasn't even had enough time for the paint to dry," I will never know. Actually, I would know... When I asked her myself! I remember reading those words once! I thought. At least I had the decency to follow them! Well, I did! Mostly. "McKay, what was her last reported position?" "Commander Miller was just dispatched to find her. Last reported position was in the Jupiter Region." That caught me off guard. Fleet Commander Savage had not sent me any orders, nor had he informed me of Akuma's actions. If he dispatched his XO on a mission to find her, he sure as hell knew what she'd done. Why would he not send orders for the Deterrence to find her? For that matter, why would he send the Sark after her? Why wouldn't he issue orders for the Deterrence battle group to find her? Unless, of course, he was not telling me everything. That was rediculous! In all the years that I've served under Savage, he'd never held information back! At least, not information pertaining to the people under my command. It was rediculous, and incredibly unlikely. Which is exactly why I believed it. I made a note to check with him about that little problem. In the meantime, however, Akuma was my problem. Savage may have found it necessary to dispatch his XO after her, but she was part of my battle group. She was my responsibility, and Savage was going over my head to deal with problems on my turf. Well, it was his priviledge, as Fleet Commander, to do so. But I would be damned if I simply stood by and watched. She was my problem as much as she was theirs. I intended to make sure that was not forgotten, no matter what transpired. "McKay, I want the Deterrence underway before the shuttle's engines have cooled down." "Aye, sir." She replied. A few minutes later, the shuttle docked. The Deterrence turned away and headed for Jupiter at full speed. There was one good point to all of this. At least it was in the home system and nowhere near the Insurgent or Gammulan borders. Should be pretty quiet. Murphy hadn't paid me a visit in a while. Go figure that today he decided to make a house call. (/rp) Hint hint... Anyone that read the First Command thread may remember what was just referred to. I will state my location later. I can't remember where Vanguard Starbase is. My official excuse for this lapse of memory is that It's currently 1:30 in the morning. G'night, folks! ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

Well, I figured that it was aboutt ime that I rejoined the forums. Here's hoping I've still got it... (RP on) Vanguard Starbase. I've been there for so long that I've almost forgotten what space travel was like. Oh, sure, I've been on the occasional trip to Orion HQ, even back to the home ground at GalCom. But it feels like forever since I've been able to just fly. Such was not the case today. After endless days of sitting at a desk on a planet, I was finally getting a chance to go somewhere. Just my luck that it was only a short trip out to Orion HQ. At least it got me "out of the office." It started out as a normal day. Another drab day staring up and wishing that I was out in space. Until I was appointed as the Deterrence Battle Group's commanding officer, the only time I'd been on a planet was during shore-leave or, as had happened once before, an unexpected shuttle crash. For the longest time, it had been the wierdest feeling to feel a gravity that was not artificially created. It had been the wierdest feeling to breathe air that was not recycled. That's not true, exactly. The starbase had air recirculators like everything else. But there is something different between ships and stations of any kind. The kind of difference that you can't describe, but can only recognize if you've spent a good portion of your life aboard ship. It had felt wierd to be on a planet, and not be bored, not get shot at, and... this was the most disturbing part... have a job to do as well. From CMO aboard the Kev's Star to this. The commander of a battle group. Not that it was a bad thing, mind you. It's just somewhere that I never thought I would be! My thoughts were interrupted as the computer on my desk beeped. I reached over to flip it on, and was rewarded by the grinning face of Lieutenant Commander McKay. "McKay here, sir. The shuttle just arrived to pick you up. We'll be ready to leave whenever you are." "I'm on my way." I said simply. She nodded, and her image winked out. With that, I stood and headed for the shuttle. (/RP) Well, that was fun! Going to have to keep up with it from now on Feels SO GOOD to be back! ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in." [This message has been edited by David Foss (edited 07-27-2000).]

Commander Foss here, sir. I'm back and ready for duty, and I have the new ICQ account up and running. I will send you the logo asap. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk ICQ#39741435 "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

I've spent the past week working on a 3d rendering of a hangarbay, fighter and cockpit. With those out of the way, I am now attempting to set up an animation involving them. All this is for a final project (one of two). I will have very little time on my hands for the next three or four days. I've barely managed to find time to make this one post. I will be back on duty as soon as these are finished. Blades, if you have not received the DBG logo yet, I will send it to you when I come back on duty. Until then, best of luck, and see you soon. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."

Need to get my hands on the digital camera, but I'll get the pic to you along with the DBG logo. ------------------ CMDR DAVID FOSS, ORION FLEET COMMANDING OFFICER, DBG DETERRENCE BATTLE GROUP GCV - DETERRENCE www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk "War is dangerous. Seek to prevent it, lest we step in."