((OOC: Starphyre- I don't see a problem with that, though it is pretty reasonable to assume that at least some of the species physiology and stuff would be known.

The Edelfrak's full complement is 120 people, and food would be chemically synthesized (carrying several years worth of food at a time would not be practical). If you want a character responsible for the food, he'd be in engineering and specialize with the synthesizers. (Note: this is the year 2330, the synthesis would be effective and look and taste like food back home, it'd just be manufactured from the ground up on the spot). If you have a better explanation as to what a cook would be doing on a ship on a five year mission, then that's fine too. Such a person wouldn't have a rank by default, but they might have earned it in engineering.

Most of the posts on this forum are in third person.

General Announcement
Well, if we go according to the schedule I put up in the opening post, then I would put up the next scenario on Friday. Seeing as how people haven't really gotten much of a chance to RP, or decide what course of action the characters want to take, do people want that pushed back? If so, how much? Another week? Two? The end of May?))

((OOC: I think we should push the next scenario a week. That would give everyone some more time to interact. But still, no more than one, or maybe to weeks, or people would start to run tired... Just my thoughts ))

Kisara felt a sting of relief, as she saw Magda comming towards her. "Commander Jungold, wait, may I suggest you let him stay?"

Kisara nodded in agreement.
Magda's report was everything but plessend. The captain had been taken away. For now they had to assume that he was dead.

"We have to find a way out of here! Arkin you contenue to check up on everyone, Magda come with me, we must search for a way out of this place..." Kisara felt something weird as they started walking. Her Fati-instinkts was reacting to the battle, whitch she knew was un-avoidable.
"We should post guards by the entranceway... Some of our best figthers! Do we have any wepons??" As she asked, she reached for her gun, although she had allready noticed the lack of its weight.

She sighed and looked up on Magda "This is a terrible mess!!"

Arkin had more than enough control over his facial expressions to not let a small wrinkle of distaste creep onto his features at Kisara's vague attempt to do his job of figuring out what had knocked everyone out, "I'll be fine, i think the gass was plant-based..." Of course it was plant based, synthesizing something that widely effective would not be efficient for anyone, the question wasn't whether it was a natural substance, but what, that would knock out Fati and Wramians and part-Saverians and everyone else.

He really couldn't stand it when command tried to interfere with his work, and he tried to encourage them to let him do his job as he saw fit by letting them do theirs, even if he thought they were being quite foolish. Hence why her next comment, delivered so brusquely, rankled a lot less than the previous one. "Please, check up on the rest of the crew." He'd been about to go anyway, accurately assuming that his advice would not be wanted. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that he wouldn't want to be in charge in this mess.

That wasn't to be though, because the head of security, Magda showed up, apparently heard the last bit of that exchange, if you could call it that, and, as if he weren't even there, told Kisara, "Commander Jungold, wait, may I suggest you let him stay? As chief examiner and diplomat,it might be good for him to know of the situation as well,"

He was slightly incredulous that Magda would contradict orders in a situation like this, when panic was likely just a moment away, but he didn't let it show as he turned with Kisara to face her and hear her report. This would probably be worth hearing, and he was reluctantly grateful that Magda stopped him from missing it. He disliked that she posed the question to Kisara, and that she nodded in agreement, all without even a sideways glance at him, but he knew this really wasn't the time to nurse his ego about how annoying high command on a ship could be.

"Commander, I have learned that the captain is missing. He seems to have been dragged out of this hold. A Wramian who happened to awake first witnessed him being taken away."
So the fellow wandering earlier had been Wramian. They were a fairly sturdy species, and if he had been knocked out at all then that got rid of most common toxins. Probably a processed toxin, maybe a nanochlorizine?

"This leaves you charge."
'Don't remind me,' he thought to himself.

She finished her report, and the situation was rather grim, which Kisara was astute enough to realize, judging by her oh-so reassuring comment, "We have to find a way out of here!" If everyone except command and senior crew members wasn't knocked out, Arkin would have called her on it- later, and in private- but he figured that no permanent harm was done.

That didn't mean that he wasn't happy to give a slightly sarcastic salute as she dismissed him as an afterthought.

Now that he suspected that it was a nanochlorizine he was able to try something from his med kit, an alkaline cocktail of weak acids and a stimulant. He didn't have any water to dilute it, so he took a tiny dose, too small to do any harm and took it himself. Not Confederation procedure at all for these situations, but without a med lab he was willing to risk it. He didn't feel any adverse effects so he slowly took more until he found that the knock out gas's effect was gone with a tenth CC dose. Good, there was more than enough here then to treat and wake up the rest of the crew.

He made his way along the rows of gurneys, administering the impromptu medicine to those that were still out cold, and explaining in brief that the ship had been captured, and that Commander Jungold was in charge, and that he had every confidence that they would be back on their way to earth as soon as possible. No one seemed happy with the situation, but no one seemed inclined to panic, and Arkin couldn't help a stir of pride at the overwhelmingly competent people the Confederation employed. His dealings with less well organized groups had led him to worry too much about widespread panic, he supposed, though he certainly wasn't going to act in quite so cavalier a fashion as Kisara and Magda.

He was about a third of the way through the hold, it didn't take long since a number of people were coming to on their own species mettle, when he saw Nine standing along a back wall. She didn't look as if she were accomplishing anything, she must have still been asleep when Magda was putting together her small group of guards. He took a glance at his supplies, and decided that getting Nine to help with the antidote would be a much better use of his time than continuing his slow administration, and a better use of her time than standing with the other guards.

He strode to the back of the hold and said softly, "Nine," just to get her attention. She hadn't been involved with the Confederation long, so her guard duties were fairly light. She was a marvelous performer and put on entertainments that he attended religiously, and sometimes came to help in sick bay. She hadn't given him any real reasons, and that was her right as far as he was concerned.

"I made up an antidote for the knock out gas," he said matter of factly, "and I could use some help administering it." A second later he realized that she was actually a guard, and probably should go get her orders from Magda. "Or Magda and the others are over there, figuring out how to get out of here."

((OOC: Whoo, long post. Hope that was okay with everyone involved?
And the situation will change on WEDNESDAY, MAY 19th.))

Name: Almidi
Age: 24 Mojhar years (53 Confederation years)
Position: Lieutenant Commander in Navigation
Species: Kinthran
Kinthrans hail from the planet Mojhar, and are relative newcomers not only to the Confederation but to interstellar relations all together. Mojhar was discovered a mere 51 Confederation years ago, and at that time the Kinthrans had only explored the nearer planets in their solar system and were in the beginning stages of developing the technology to visit the outermost planets.

Kinthrans value knowledge and information and are an extremely curious race, so their reaction was neither fear nor hatred. Instead, they welcomed the outsiders, and have embraced the universe of wonders that the Confederation has opened up for them.

While there are some things about Kinthrans that are common knowledge; such as their perfect recall memories and their intense loyalty to their tegni (family group), there are other aspects of their culture that remain unknown. For example, one of the worst things a Kinthran could do is to bring shame to their tegni, but when asked what would bring such shame, most either evade the question or give such a vague answer that it couldn’t really be considered an answer.

It is also common knowledge that they view information as very powerful, and in the wrong hands very dangerous. However, only a handful of people know the most closely guarded of their secrets; their belief that true names hold such special meaning that they could be potentially deadly, and are thus only to be spoken inside the tegni enclave.

Bio:
Almidi was an infant when her planet was discovered and by the time she was old enough to remember, Mojhar was already a member of the Confederation. With the seemingly insatiable thirst for learning that is common to her people, she would spend much of her free time reading beyond the standard Confederation curriculum. Her favorite topic of study was the various life forms in the galaxy, and from a young age she wanted to experience the cultures she had read about.

Upon reaching the age of majority, Almidi enlisted in the Confederation Space Corp. Once in training, she quickly found navigation to be the area that she truly enjoyed and in which she excelled. It has been nearly nine Confederation years since she graduated from the training program, but to the way she views time it has only taken four short years to work her way up to where she is now.

Additional info:
Almidi may possess a lot of knowledge, but she is fully aware that that doesn’t translate into intelligence (the practical application of knowledge as defined by Kinthrans). Her intelligence may be slightly above average, but nowhere near super-genius.

Of course, there have been times when her natural curiosity and typical Kinthran appearance has given the impression of innocence or naivety, but as anyone who has been condescending toward her or her people could attest neither is the case. While generally even tempered and patient, it would be rather… ill advised to insult her tegni.

She has an affinity for ancient Earth music.

Picture:

When she is off duty, she typically wears her hair down.

((OOC - Sorry for the delay in my application... I ended up scratching my orginal idea, and starting over.))

I am asleep… The thought flittered through Almidi’s mind and for a brief moment she knew that something was very wrong but she couldn’t focus on what. After a few moments of struggling with the jumble of her thought, she hit on a thought that made sense. I am supposed to be at helm! With that thought, her eyes snapped open as she struggled to sit up. She still had a vague notion that something was off, but the only thing she could focus on was the fact that she was going to be late for her shift.

Once on her feet, she surveyed her surroundings and once again a sense of wrongness fluttered through her mind, but the sound of nearby voices distracted her and her thoughts scattered again and settled back on where she was supposed to be. Turning toward the voices, she saw two people (Arkin and Nine) standing not too far from where she was, and as she stumbled her way toward them, she was so intent on one thought that she didn’t notice how seemingly difficult walking had become.

“Excuse me,” she said as she came up to the others, “but do you know when we will be allowed to go back on duty? I do not want to be late-” Once again, her thoughts were scattered, this time by a wave of dizziness, but as she brought her left hand up to hold her head, she was startled to see that she was injured. Burns? She thought in confusion as she stared at her hand and tried to remember what happened.

“Alarms…” she muttered, just starting to get a tentative grip on the situation, but that was lost when the pain in her right hand demanded her attention. Looking to her right hand, she was surprised to find that she was gripping a data pad so tightly that her muscles had started to spasm painfully. For some reason it took a lot of concentration to get her fingers to relax their grip, and when they did Almidi let the pad fall.

The clatter as the pad hit the floor managed to get her attention. Data pad? She thought, but then her attention shifted to what was next to the pad. Feet?... Following the feet up... Person? She tried to focus on the person in front of her, but was simply unable to.

After another wave of dizziness hit her, she managed to find a thought that made sense. “I… appear to need… medical attention…” she said, and then she sank to the floor. Holding her head in her right hand, she once again focused on her left hand in an attempt to pierce the fog that seemed to have taken hold of her mind.

((OOC –I was having some fun with the “after effects of the knock out gas are affecting many quite adversely” part of the situation. I hope this works for everyone… Zela, I tried to write it so that you could decide whether or not Nine had the chance to respond to Arkin before Almidi arrives. ))

Dania watched Arkin walk away with vague regret. She'd stopped following the conversation as soon as the people in charge had arrived, knowing that her opinion was next to useless- and that her head wasn't in it's best shape at this point.

Dania glanced at Kisara. "What do you want me to do?" She mumbled. She was just a kid, and she felt way out of her depth. Arkin was gone, and so she couldn't even admire his features while the others blathered on about the situation.

((OOC: apologies for the crappiness, I was recovering from my failing inspiration level, and then some more bad news hit))

((OOC: Also, Zela, I was waiting for you to reply for the Arkin/Nine/Almidi conversation, but did you want to sit this round out? If so, its good form to tell someone.))

Nine was taken by surprise by the sudden arrival of Arkin at her side. Quickly trying to wipe (if it was at all possible) the last physical effects of the drug, Nine stood up tall, put a smile on her face and opened her eyes wide. If there was one thing Nine couldn’t stand, it was looking messy. Messy and disorganised. As a ‘show girl’ Nine had learnt to look the part, and becoming part of the crew had been an effort. You couldn’t look your best all the time but somehow Nine almost always did. She seemed to have been accepted onto the crew quickly, giving the crew entertainment of singing and dancing every now and again when people weren’t busy helped a great deal, especially with the male crew members. Arkin was liked too, being the crews’ medical superman and Nine always had a soft spot for the Medical officer.
With so many questions, Nine decided to, firstly, talk to Arkin about his proposition.
“Arkin, it seems Magda has a few guards helping her out right now. You can’t possible administer the antidote all by your self. I’m sure Magda won’t miss me. I’m not much use to her anyway. But first, what on earth happened here? Where is the captain?” As Nine talked, she tied up her hair into a long flowing ponytail. She missed having all the glamour and her hair was one of her best features. She certainly wasn’t going to have it messed up.



((So sorry for the wait. I've had so much work at school but I assure you, next time I will let you guys know.))

Name: Zulu

Gender: Female

Age: 29

Position: Engineer

Species: Rattus Sapien. Rattus Sapien's are rat-like beings. They appear human, but on closer inspection, they are more rat then human. Most have 12 foot long rat tails, whiskers, and they're feet are almost perfectly like a rats. They're height ranges from 7 1/2 feet to 6 feet. Thin fur cover's they're bodies, and often, there skin color reflects the fur color. Rattus Sapien's came from the planet Enaler, a lush planet with rain forests covering its surface. Unlike human expectations, the inhabitants intelligence was not like a rats. Rattus Sapien's lives would usually focus of rituals, gods, and family. One of the most common rituals was when a child would turn (In human years) 17. When the child, or as Rattus Sapien's say 'Hinicha' (Pronounced Hin-I-Cha), the family would invite relatives, friends, and even strangers in to they're homes, and then would sing songs, talk of the old times, and laugh. After the guests leave, the Hinicha would be given a bracelet, a gift from they're parents. Most often, this bracelet would have been made by a house leader (Often the father of the child), the day the Hinicha was born. The bracelet would be made with strands of fur/hair from each parent, and at times from a grandparent, with a colorful bead on it. This bead, would be the same color as another Hinicha's bead, and those two Rattus Sapien's would then be mates for life. The parents would choose another Hinicha, most often from a friends family, on the day there child was born, to be its mate. Rattus Sapien's are a careful species, trusting only when they know its safe to. In war, the Rattus Sapien's would take hostage the enemy's leader/head-of-household, take them out in to the middle of no where, chop off they're tails, whiskers, and unmentionables, and leave them alone for two whole days. They then would return, and would either: Chop off the enemy's head, place it on a spear, and then parade around the village singing victory songs. The second option: they would take the enemy/head-of-household back to its home, and then leave it alone in disgrace.

Bio: Zulu, as a child, was taken from her home on Enaler, and taken back to Earth as a orphan. Her parents had recently died in a house fire, and she still had not been given her Bracelet. Defeated and in grief, Zulu simply dragged her self through the days. One day, her adoptive parents took her to the confederation, and signed her up for the training system at the time. Zulu was quickly shipped to a training camp. Miffed that her 'parents' would do this to her, Zulu resented the Confederation. She often would spit at the feet of her commanders, swear openly, and got in to one to many scraps with her fellow officers. At the age of 20, Zulu was the best in her area of training. Even though she hated the Confederation, she still worked hard, as she'd found she felt the most at home in the middle of the engines, twiddling with wires, switching things, and having the feeling of others depending on her to keep things working. Her tail and flexible body made it easy for her to maneuver the smallest spaces, and also being able to hang upside down. At the age of 25, Zulu finished her training early, and was stationed on the Ekat. After two's years serving on the Ekat, she was transferred to the Edelfrak, and has served on it for two whole years. Zulu visited Earth once while stationed on the Ekat, and quickly tracked down her 'parents'. They admitted they'd adopted Zulu purely because they thought they couldn't have children, but now had three. Zulu was shocked. She now had three human siblings, who screamed in fear when they saw her. Enraged and beaten down, Zulu left Earth, and didn't come back for another two years. When she did return, it was to mourn the loss of one of her fellow officers, who had died while visiting his family. Zulu had trained with the officer, and had actually at times thought she'd loved him. After another loss, Zulu marched back to the Ekat, her head held high. She served the ship she best she could, and never returned to Earth. Once Zulu almost did, when she got a message saying one of her siblings, from Enaler, was alive. It turned out, that her brother had survived, But died in a explosion the lab he'd been working in only weeks after the message arrived. When Zulu arrived on the Edelfrak, she quickly made it clear she was in charge, at least in the engine room she was.

Anything else you'd like to include: Zulu is very fond of a special candy like food, made from the bladder of a fish found on her planet, mixed with other herbs, and then crystallized. Zulu draws in her free time, witch isn't often. When she does get the chance, Zulu will read up on the newest ship models. Because her parents died before Zulu ever received her bracelet, she's constantly confused if she should keep her self ready to find some one to love, or if she should just lock the door in your face.

Picture or physical description: (As I do not have a picture, and my own drawing skills will not do this character justice, I'll simply type it up.)
Zulu has a face much like StarBuck from BattleStar Galactica. (For those who haven't watched this show, please view this picture s a reference: http://www.syfy.com/battlestar/imag...ry/women/15.jpg.) Zulu's fur is a dark brown color, and her skin is a mocha color. Her eyes are a stark blue, and will often clash with her darker complexion. She is strongly built, and has a hour-glass figure. Her tail is 12 feet and 1 inch, some thing she's very proud of. Her whiskers are a grayish color. Her claw like nails on her back feet are often sharp, and help her grip the ground. Her hair is brown, and reaches down to about the middle of her back. Its often pulled back in a pony-tail. Her height is 7 foot tall. Zulu has a tattoo of wings on her shoulder, and is about the size of a index card.
((I'm really sorry for the loong post. I was just having so much fun creating such a cool character. I had loads of fun making the culture part of hr species. Also, should I make another post to begin my role play with Zulu, or just edit this post?))

((OOC: She sounds utterly awesome, and we don't mind long posts here! When you bring her into the RP, please do so as a second post. Welcome to the RP, and thanks for coming.))

((Yay! You guys don't mind long posts? Awesome!))

The alarms were screeching in her ears. Zulu was sprinting down one of the corridors, pushing aside a officer in her hurry. Then, the world went black, and the last thing she'd seen was the floor flying to meet her face.

"What the...." Zulu muttered, rubbing her head, opening her eyes. She took in the room quickly. Her hands flew to where her holster was, and swore. Her hand-gun was missing. Zulu's vision blurred, and she reached for the wall to steady her self. Her whiskers were drooped, and her tail was twitching nervously.

“Arkin, it seems Magda has a few guards helping her out right now. You can’t possible administer the antidote all by your self. I’m sure Magda won’t miss me. I’m not much use to her anyway. But first, what on earth happened here? Where is the captain?”

Zulu's nose twitched in annoyance at Arkin's name. It wasn't a secret she didn't like him. To put it bluntly, she hated his guts. Zulu quickly let go of the wall, and began to walk around the hold. She was straining to hear any thing outside of the hold, but couldn't. In her frustration, Zulu slammed her fist on the wall. Her tail slashing in anger, Zulu walked over to Arkin and Nine. "What in Galarzer's name is going on?" Zulu demanded, her voice a growl.

((Hope that was okay for my first post. Galarzer is a god that the people from Enaler believe in.))

Normally Arkin was pretty pleased when Nine demonstrated that she had a bit of logic and intelligence behind her pretty face and unfortunate background, but now, after his few pet peeves with the Confederation had been so perfectly impersonated by Kisara and the others, he really didn't want to listen to Nine's analysis of the situation.

“Arkin, it seems Magda has a few guards helping her out right now.
Great job, we can both count to ten.
You can’t possible administer the antidote all by your self.
And you know this for an absolute confident certainty why?
I’m sure Magda won’t miss me. I’m not much use to her anyway.

That one made him feel a touch guilty, the whole situation was probably going to be stressing everyone out, and he really shouldn't be mocking people when he was going to be seen as being in a leadership position. He devoted a tiny bit of attention to relaxing his jaw which had tightened without his noticing, as she asked what most everyone else had been asking, But first, what on earth happened here? Where is the captain?”

"We were beamed into another ship, someone saw the captain being hauled out. Kisara is in charge, and will surely get us home safely." For Nine, whom he did actually care about and trust, he let a little of his own opinion of the second-in-command slip into his voice, not enough to be readily detectable, but less cheerful than the other answers he'd given.

He dug in his bag for the antidote he'd made up and was about to explain how to administer it, when he heard a bang at the other end of the hold. A quick glance around didn't reveal anything that leapt out at him as unusual, so he turned back to Nine. He was about to give her half of the remaining supply of hypos when he saw someone stumble dizzily up to them and slur, “Excuse me, but do you know when we will be allowed to go back on duty? I do not want to be late- alarms..."

She dropped her data pad to the floor with a clatter, and seemed to be staring in confusion at his feet as he took a concerned step forward, Nine's offer of assistance completely forgotten as someone badly needed his help. “I… appear to need… medical attention…” she said, and he helped her collapse neatly to the floor.

"Hypo," he called back authoritatively, before he remembered that he wasn't in a med lab on ship, he didn't have trained assistants, and he wasn't using standard medicines. He sighed in a rare display of exasperation and dragged his bag over to pull out another one of the doses of the antidote. He administered it quickly and registered no change. None of the others had been this badly affected and awake... A quick examination revealed no major harm, her breathing and heart rate were normal at least.

She was conscious, and he muttered soothingly to her about the situation and how everyone and everything was in perfect control, and as he noticed the initial dosage beginning, much more slowly than it had in other patients, to take effect, he got to his feet, gently hauling the Kinthran to her feet. He helped her balance against the wall and told her that she should come talk to him if the antidote hadn't taken affect in another few minutes. He clapped her on the shoulder, and then was rather startled to hear someone growl, "What in Galarzer's name is going on?"

He paused for a second, wondering whether it would be foolish to ignore the giant rat-woman standing behind him. He and Zulu did not get along, probably due to his own irrational dislike of creatures that had carried plague on earth... He'd never gone out of his way to be friendly to her, though he thought her dislike was well out of proportion with anything he'd ever said or done.

He finally turned to answer her, several seconds after the point when his own exhaustion could be the explanation for his delay. "The crew was knocked out, we're not on the Edelfrak, and the captain was taken away. That's all we know." he said, his voice even and dispassionate. He guessed that Zulu might have been responsible for the loud noise he'd heard earlier, and he shifted his weight so he could dart to the side if she decided that in such a situation, a medical officer wasn't necessary.

((OOC: Hope that was okay with all involved parties?))

((OOC: All good with me.))
Nine gave Zulu a glare. She often got on with, well, everyone but it was clear that Zulu and Arkin had some kind of dislike for each other and Nine knew Arkin as the good, honest man and she didn't know Zulu very well. Nine decided, in an instance, to stick by her friend rather than the rat-woman.
"Umm, well... Maybe Magda may have some news. If you see me as not needed, Arkin, maybe I will be some use to Magda after all. But there does seem to be a lot of people still under the effects of the drug. We are certainly in a difficult situation here, aren't we?" Nine wasn't sure if Arkin was still happy with her helping. She didn't want to be a nuisance and she really didn't want to get in the way. She had a lot of respect for him and didn't mind if she was 'dismissed'.

There seemed little chance of lifting the mood. The captain was gone. And so was the hope. Nine felt, for one of the first times in her life, there was little chance for their survival. She was usually a optimistic person but thing defiantly didn't look good.

((Fine by me!))

"The crew was knocked out, we're not on the Edelfrak, and the captain was taken away. That's all we know."

Zulu noticed the pause, and crossed her arms.

"Umm, well... Maybe Magda may have some news. If you see me as not needed, Arkin, maybe I will be some use to Magda after all. But there does seem to be a lot of people still under the effects of the drug. We are certainly in a difficult situation here, aren't we?"

Zulu rolled her eyes. "Oh no, I didn't know that! I bet if you did a little dance we'd all be all so much better!" Zulu said in a high-pitched voice. She wasn't in the mood to get along, and being near Arkin was setting her on edge. Besides, she didn't exactly hate Nine, she'd simply mock her every chance she got. "Make your selves useful for once and tell me if you guys have seen a control panel like thing, hell, even a loose floor panel would be nice." Zulu spoke as her tail wished back and forth like a cats.
She was stuck in a hold with two people she hated, the captain was missing, her hand-gun was missing, who knew if they were even still on the Edelfrak. Things were not going well this morning.

While sitting on the floor, Almidi was dimly aware of the slight sting of a hypo being administered, and after an uncertain amount of time, she realized that someone was talking to her. She turned to see Arkin kneeling next to her, and a few seconds later she actually started to comprehend precisely what he was saying.

A niggling voice in the back in her mind protested that everything was not as in control as he claimed, but she couldn’t dwell on it yet. At that moment, she was having a hard enough time just focusing on both Arkin’s words and the process of standing and walking.

Finally steadied against the wall, she was about to thank Arkin when another voice cut in. "What in Galarzer's name is going on?"

Galarzer?… Almidi thought, trying to remember where she had heard that name… Deity on Enaler. She leaned slightly to the side to peer around Arkin to see who had spoken. Zulu, Rattus Sapien… Engineering. Though there were only a few crewmembers that she knew personally, she always made it a habit to stay current with the crew roster so she knew who everyone was.

"The crew was knocked out, we're not on the Edelfrak, and the captain was taken away. That's all we know."

While Almidi began to mull over Arkin’s words and their implications in the back of her mind, in the forefront she couldn’t help but wonder at the sudden and drastic shift in his demeanor. She would have sworn that he was preparing for an attack, and she couldn’t help but think that there was something there that she was missing.

"Umm, well... Maybe Magda may have some news.”

Almidi turned to the young woman. Nine May, Human, Security, she thought, and was relieved to find that it was increasingly easier to not only focus her thoughts, but also to recall details. As Almidi listened to Nine, she couldn’t help but feel for her as she appeared to be so lost.

"Oh no, I didn't know that! I bet if you did a little dance we'd all be all so much better!"

That was certainly uncalled for, Almidi thought looking back to Zulu, and as the Rattus Sapien continued to insult the others, Almidi quirked a brow. She was about to comment that it was hardly the time to hash out personal grudges when Arkin’s words suddenly jolted to the forefront of her thoughts. That is not all we know…

“We were attacked,” she said into the tension. “A large ship came out of nowhere. They ignored our attempts to communicate, and when they opened fire, Captain ordered evasive maneuvers.” At that point she lowered her head and softly said, “I failed.” Her gaze fell upon her data pad still on the floor, and her brow furrowed slightly in confusion as she continued, “After the first attack, the controls would not respond, and with the second attack a panel exploded nearby. I must have braced for another, but I do not think there was one. Instead I felt the tickle of beaming… and then I awoke here.”

“My data pad was linked with my station at the time,” she cautiously pushed away from the wall to retrieve the pad, but a lingering wave of dizziness caused her to pause for a moment before she picked it up. “Might it have some useful information about the attack?”

((OOC – Furry, if I have her knowing more than you think she should, just let me know and I’ll change it. Everyone, if at any point my posts start to be too much, please let me know and I’ll try to tone it down.))

Nine looked at Almidi, a smile creeping across her face.
"Your data pad may be of use. Unlike some large useless rodents around here. Zulu, please refrain from being downright mean. I think being immature at a time like this is very stupid. We should be sticking together. After all, we don't know what is in stall for us." Nine only just managed not to glare at Zulu during her mini-speech, but instead gave a warm smile to the surrounding people. "Almidi, you did your job. There was nothing you could have done. Now, maybe someone should have a look at that data pad of yours. Maybe Arkin and myself should start administering these drugs. The sooner people wake up, the sooner we can have a whole crew to sort out this mess."
Nine wasn't sure if they could get out this mess, but, Nine thought, it was worth a try. She wanted to get off the darn ship. She didn't want to be on it in the first place. She also wanted Zulu to tell her what her problem was. Nine never thought they had a problem with each other, but she seemed to have been mistaken.

((OOC: Sorry for the short post. I haven't got much inspiration.))

"Your data pad may be of use. Unlike some large useless rodents around here. Zulu, please refrain from being downright mean. I think being immature at a time like this is very stupid. We should be sticking together. After all, we don't know what is in stall for us."

Zulu simply glared at this, but remained quiet. At least Almidi had information about what happened. Zulu refrained from attacking Nine, and instead only imagined the different types of torture that could have been used at that moment. Her tail kept close, while her whiskers twitched in anger. "The proper term for my species is Rattus Sapien" Zulu grumbled. Zulu kept her self quiet, knowing that if she did speak any more, she'd probably start shouting at Nine. This was all her species got. The trainees at the training camps sneered at her. Insults, more insults, and people still thought she had to remain calm. All this just because of some idiotic rats on Earth. Zulu's whiskers drooped, but she simply waited for some one else to speak.

((Your post was fine Starphyre77!))

Arkin found his head starting to pound, almost like when he'd initially woken up. It wasn't quite that bad, but he didn't like it. Could gas still be trickling into the hold? He hoped not, and hoped that his own general crankiness at the moment, though exacerbated by Zulu and Kisara was a side effect of the gas and not a loss of his usual impeccable self control. A self control which should have been even more unshakeable, given how he'd spent the time before the beam out, with Myrna.

Myrna. He wondered what had happened to her, since she hadn't turned up as he'd gone through the hold. He was a little alarmed at how little he cared about the fate of the woman he'd been involved with for almost the entire journey, but he knew that now was neither the time to mourn or to worry about anything other than doing his job. He had to stay calm, for the crew who were now all his patients.

"Umm, well... Maybe Magda may have some news." Nine ventured, breaking his short reverie. He raised one eyebrow in momentary confusion, he had in no way indicated that he needed more information, or that her help wasn't wanted, had he? A dull throbbing was beginning behind his temples, and he felt that the last exchange was starting to blur slightly. Odd.

"If you see me as not needed, Arkin, maybe I will be some use to Magda after all. But there does seem to be a lot of people still under the effects of the drug. We are certainly in a difficult situation here, aren't we?"

He gave her a light smile and was about to instruct her in how to administer the hypos, and about to contemplate taking a second dose, he needed to be clear headed, when Zulu's highly unpleasant voice and observation cut in. "Oh no, I didn't know that! I bet if you did a little dance we'd all be all so much better!"

He stood up a little straighter, and he was a bare instant away from leaping to Nine's defense and telling Zulu to calm down, in several more, less pleasant words, when his diplomatic instincts kicked in, made him weigh the situation, and before he could decide how to word his growing ire, she continued, "Make your selves useful for once,"

His eyes narrowed, and it took every ounce of self control not to give some vent to what he'd managed to accomplish on this voyage, how no one had been medically unfit for duty for more than a day, even when they were stupid enough to fall off a cliff, and no one had died, even when they stuck their head in a plasma generator. Keeping the crew alive and well was not useful? His hands clenched though he didn't raise them, and he quietly deepened his breathing. He couldn't lose his temper now, he appeared to be the only one here who had a lick of sanity or patience left, even if the rat-woman was gnawing on the latter.

"and tell me if you guys have seen a control panel like thing, hell, even a loose floor panel would be nice." She clearly hadn't even heard his report, since, though it was terse and informal, she should know enough about how he ran his sick bay that he would mention something like that?

The tension was building for a moment as Arkin weighed the alternatives of reprimanding Zulu, directing Nine to continue administering the antidotes, and checking on Almidi.

The last one bore itself out as she gave a halting report on the attack of the ship, and he listened pensively. So there really wasn't a good reason for them to be here, was it possible they were going to be ransomed to the Confederation? Killed ritualistically? Enslaved? Nothing he could come up with was any sort of a reassuring possibility, unless there had been another ship that had no business being in their sector.

He really didn't want to be in charge of the situation, but the people he was with were a guard, an engineering officer who seemed to have lost whatever mind she had, and a sick person. His thoughts strayed into thoughts of how to get out, he hadn't been looking for a door, but... his head started throbbing, either at the unusual mental exertion or at something in the air.

He didn't pay any attention to what Almidi said next as he glanced at where he'd found her. Most of the people there were still unconscious, even as most of the rest of the hold, both those that he'd treated and those that he hadn't were at least starting to wake up. And his own fairly hardy constitution was flagging...

A sharp word, "useless" snapped his attention back to the present as he listened with undisguised incredulity to Nine, the only non-officer present, reprimand Zulu, praise Almidi, and venture forth some orders.

He didn't hear Zulu answer Nine, she was probably as startled as he was. He let his usual stoic and cheerful expression get back onto his face and said distinctly, "Both of you, stop with the insults. We are all officers in the Confederation and should behave as such." His words were clipped, his head hurt and he did not want to listen to any bickering, even if it wasn't directed at him.

"Nine, I want you to take the cocktail in my bag, administer a tenth CC to anyone who is still unconscious or who appears to be ill. Zulu, Almidi, I'm no engineer, you figure out what to do with the data pad. If there's any way, once you have information from it, to turn it into a sensor, that would be wonderful. I'm going to see what is over there, I suspect it's where the gas came from."

He relaxed visibly, noticeably different from when he was in the highly unfamiliar and unpleasant role of giving orders. He waited several long seconds before turning to depart, hoping that they would follow orders, or if they disobeyed, it would be with a much better idea, and not more childish and divisive bickering.

((OOC: -Pardon the lengthy post, and I hope it was okay with all involved. Also, kiwisun, and NKP1994 have not posted in a while.
-All three of them are free to obey or disregard orders as the character would see fit.
-If anyone winds up reading the data pad, their player should PM me and I will tell them what information is on it.
-As to Arkin's request to see if they could outfit the data pad as a sensor, it is up to whoever winds up with it as to whether its possible or if they do it. He's no engineer
-The situation changes the day after tomorrow))

Zulu simply nodded. Confederation her ***. But Arkin had a point, the longer they stood there fighting, the longer they'd be on this god forsaken ship.

Quietly, Zulu knelled down beside Almidi. "I'll need your help with this data pad. I'm used to lots of wires, and huge pieces of machinery, not small stuff like this." Zulu said, picking up the data pad and offering it to the fellow engineer.

((Bleh, I couldn't come up with any thing else. Yikes! Thats pretty soon! Oh well!))

((OOC – refox, if you’re referring to Almidi as the “fellow engineer” I’m afraid she’s in navigation and doesn’t know thing one about engineering…
- I am working on a post, but I’m at a bit of an impasse so I’m going to PM Furry with a question…))
____________

“Your data pad may be of use. Unlike some large useless rodents around here.”

That was also uncalled for, Almidi thought as she quirked an eyebrow at Nine. Though her look softened at Nine’s praise, she felt that the continued insults were rather counterproductive.

"The proper term for my species is Rattus Sapien," Was Zulu’s surprisingly subdued reply, and Almidi found herself sympathizing with that assertion.

Fortunately, Arkin interjected, his words mirroring her thoughts. "Both of you, stop with the insults. We are all officers in the Confederation and should behave as such."

As he continued, she grimaced slightly at the thought of losing her data pad, but she accepted that it was most likely necessary. Having issued his orders, Arkin then proceeded to head toward the source of the gas, and she watched him with a concerned look.

Turning to Nine, she said, “I know administering to the remaining affected crew is a heavy task, but please try to keep an eye on the Doctor as well. If there is lingering gas over there, it may overpower him…” Nodding at Nine’s response, she then turned her attention to Zulu and the data pad.
________

((OOC - If this doesn't work for those involved, please let me know. refox, please don't think I'm ignoring your post, I'm just holding off until I hear back on the PM's I sent you and Furry. ))

Nine turned to Almidi a frown on her face.
"Umm... You may be right about dear Arkin. He don't look that great, does he? Don't you worry. I'll take good care of the doc." Nine said, mostly to herself than to anyone else. Her eyes traveled over the doctor as he made his way to where he suspected the gas was coming from. She had a high respect for the him and didn't want him to be overcome by the gas. However, Nine didn't want Arkin to think she was useless, so she started to administar the drugs to the nearest people and tried to wake them up. She did, though, contininue to look over to where Arkin was standing.
"Arkin, are you sure you are alright? I would be awfully lost without you." Nine's voice rang out through where they were being held, but she didn't care. At the time being, all she cared for was to get people awake and for the safety of the crew, Arkin included.

((OOC: Sorry for the shortness. Hope this is ok with everyone.))

"I'll need your help with this data pad. I'm used to lots of wires, and huge pieces of machinery, not small stuff like this."

“I must admit, I know very little of the inner workings of such things. Though if you feel such a modification is possible, I will offer what assistance I can. However…” Almidi paused, and then looking around the hold and locating Kisara she continued, “Before we do, perhaps we should bring the pad to the Commander so the data can be reviewed.”

“You showed an impressive amount of restraint in your final remark to Nine,” Almidi said as they navigated through the gurneys on their way to Kisara. “I have never understood the human propensity to liken non-human races to non-sentient Earth creatures and objects.” Suddenly realizing that that comment could spark Zulu’s anger once again, either toward herself or Nine, she changed to what she hoped was a more helpful subject before Zulu had a chance to respond. “I wonder if these could be disassembled and used as makeshift weapons,” she said indicating the multitude of gurneys.

By that point, they had reached Kisara and Magda so Almidi gave her report of the battle, explained about the data pad, and asked for permission to go ahead with the modifications after the pad had been reviewed. She knew that once they started taking the pad apart, the memory would be wiped, and to Kinthran thinking any lost information could prove disastrous. Thus, she asked for, and was granted, permission to read the information aloud which allowed her to commit the entire contents to her memory while the others could focus on the items that they felt were relevant or important.

“It appears to be a complete download of the sensor logs for the past week.

-The material composition of an asteroid field that appears to be unrelated to a solar system.

-The contents of the data dump at a Confederation buoy four days ago, which states that all was going well and the ship should arrive at the next buoy on schedule, 10 days from the time of the dump.

-There was an unusual material signature from an object, detectable for several hours before the attack. It is similar to the asteroids, and it appears that this object was the ship that attacked.

-No ships were scheduled to be in the area, Confederation or civilian, other than the Edelfrak at this time.

-The weapons used on the Edelfrak were positronic lasers, which were outlawed in Confederation space many years ago for the undetectable, long lasting, and highly caustic residue they leave in space.

-The ship that attacked was almost eight times as large as the Edelfrak, and built according to specifications predating the Confederation, though ships that large couldn't be built back then.”

Once reaching the end of the information, Almidi and Zulu were left to set about the task of trying to modify the data pad. “I do not believe we have been properly introduced,” she said before they started, and then in the custom of her people, she spread her hands slightly more than shoulder width apart – one hand holding the pad and the other empty with the palm facing up – and gave a slight bow of her head. “I am called Almidi.”
__________

((OOC – Panda, I hope this is ok, but the way I see her character, Almidi would have memorized even the non-noteworthy information. If I’ve revealed too much, please let me know and I’ll edit it as quickly as possible.
- I really felt that Kisara needed to be informed about the pad, so I tried really hard to do so in a way that would avoid controlling other characters.
- Since the situation is due to change soon, I was trying to hurry things along a bit... As always, to all those involved, let me know if you feel something needs to be changed.))

((OOC: Starphyre77 - I'm happy with you'r post, I'm glad to be a little involved again.))

Kisara and Magda had just finished briefing the assemblet guards when to people came up to them.
Kisara recognized Almidi from the navigation squad. She looked pretty bad, but she seemed to be alright. The other person was a Rattus Sapien in an engineering uniform. Kisara had seen her on the ship before, but she didn't remember her name.
Almidi explained about the attack. Kisara clenched her fists while listening intensely, hoping to get some new information.
When the crew was beamed over to the hold, Almidi had brought a control panel - the info on this was amasing, and frightening!

Arkin had sugested that they turned the panel into a sensor. "Thats a good idea, start working on that!" She said, a little sharp. But it really was a good idea and, had she heard about the panel first, she would have come up with the same thing.

((OOC: I was a little out of inspiration, but i hope this is alright... ))

Have I mentioned recently that I hate under trained officers? I could have gotten work with the Confederation, but no, piracy seemed so much more lucrative, so much better organized. I should have listened to mother.

So the captain finally had this big terrible pirate ship of ours do some piracy, on a sweet little ship that I would have been happily up to my elbows in. Except some idiot junior officer we picked up on Trenagas Double Prime beamed the crew aboard, and flooded the hold with knock out gas. So now, instead of getting to disect that beautiful, top of the line ship in our hold, I've been listening to the captain and the other officers argue about what to do with them. I left early, the one good thing about outlaw vessels is that they really can't threaten me with a court martial or anything, and I'm far too valuable to kill.

There are several ways out of the hold, though doubtless they've already been blocked off, my crew knows what they're doing. The ventilation tunnel the gas came through, the actual doorway, there's a transporter in there somewhere...

But MY crew is not entirely composed of incompetent boobs like that junior officer. I don't need to confirm that they did their jobs, they know the consequences, and they aren't stupid. Far more pressing, after dealing with the captain in a rage like this, I need a drink.
/Engineering Log

((Sorry for not posting sooner.))

Zulu silently followed Almidi

“You showed an impressive amount of restraint in your final remark to Nine,”

“I have never understood the human propensity to liken non-human races to non-sentient Earth creatures and objects.”

Zulu sighed quietly to her self at this. Still, she smirked at the thought of turning the gurneys in to weapons. Nothing special needed to be done to them, just pick one up and throw it at something, or someone, she thought, a image of Nine being pinned to the wall by a simply gurney.

“I do not believe we have been properly introduced,”

Zulu found Almidi's greeting unusual, but then a lot of greetings where.

“I am called Almidi.”

"Zulu. And as its already been stated, I'm part, as humans put it, rodent" Zulu said with nothing but venom in her voice at the disgusting word. "Sorry you had to see that back there" Zulu said, refering to her out-burst at Nine and Arkin.
The rat-woman suddenly remembered this was a time of essence, and that they had better hurry up. "Lets just get this over with" Zulu said, taking the data pad. Quickly she looked it over, and then pulled it in two, and gutted it out.

((Sorry if that was to much like a safe-time conversation. I'm still new to this danger time and safe time thing.))