| Author | Message | ||
     Cdr. Velorna Tal |
U.S.S. CORONADO NCC-97901 MAIN SHUTTLEBAY STARDATE 240304.21 0613 HOURS It was still several minutes before the shuttlecraft Diana was scheduled to leave, but Commander Velorna Tal had not slept all night. She did not feel out of line arriving more than fifteen minutes early to begin her preflight checks and engine warm-up proceedures. It did not surprise her that her companion for her sojourn, Commander Zunite Oswald, had not arrived yet. It made little difference when Oswald chose to arrive, Tal was more than capable of preflighting a shuttlecraft. As she stepped into the silent shuttlebay, Tal caught sight of the shuttle and chuckled to herself. In scarecely two months, it would have been four years since she had piloted Diana through a Traxati needle attack and survived. Though the mission had ultimately resulted in the deaths of countless millions of beings, the fact that she had taken part in the rescue of thousands of beings when the Traxati had threatened their planet was cause enough to bring a smile to Tal's face. Saving lives was always a worthy achievement. Perhaps she could help save lives again today, she thought as she ran a hand along the cool surface of Diana's hull. Whatever secrets her father and direct superior Admiral Wallace was keeping from her, she knew in her heart that the truth should be a matter of public record and not private lies. The preflight went smoothly, and within moments the shuttle's engines were humming as she brought them to full standby. She then reviewed her choices for possible landing sites and narrowed it down from six to one. It was the one that most intrigued her and that she felt would best conceal her actions from public - and even private - scrutiny. A few minutes later, a slighty droopy-eyed Commander Zunite Oswald shuffled into the shuttlebay. She had a pack slung over one shoulder and was carrying coffee in mug that read "It's Good to be Queen." Tal chuckled lightly as the chief engineer settled herself into the copilot's seat of Diana. Oswald cast an exhausted, stabbing glance over at the older Romulan woman. Tal held up her hands in mock surrender before setting back to the controls and running through the launch sequence. === Ten minutes later, the shuttlecraft was swooping in low over the surface of Xanadu, buzzing though the buildings of the great city of Alexandria. The tiny vehicle's course appeared erratic at first glance. But a careful observer would note that pilot was taking she shuttle on a route that was designed to lose any possible trackers and to create the appearance of a random joy flight. With a sharp banking turn, the shuttle executed a beautifully mind-boggling dive towards the streets of Alexandria. With just a handful of meters before collision, the shuttle pulled her nose up and shot along the streets for another three kilometers before settiling down into the dusty street. Amidst the rising spires and towering monolithic structures, the two figures emerging from the tiny white form of Diana seemed almost as nothing. Coronado's shuttle and her two passengers had intruded upon thousands of years of corruption and decay, and the very atmosphere seemed to shout it at them with its massive dead silence. "What is this place?" Oswald's inquiry came out as barely more than a whisper. Tal pulled a tricorder out and began scanning the region. Before them stood a white stone structure with stained glass windows and great spires and crosses all over it, though it was tiny compared to the rest of the city around them. Once she was satisfied that no craft had followed them, that no sensors were tracking them, and that no one was present to spy upon them, Tal packed away her scanner. "This," she said as she dug out a Starfleet standard-issue backpack filled with various bits of equipment, "is the St. John's Cathedral. It was built on the old Earth colony of Terra Nova in the late-22nd century. It was transplanted here," she peeled off her uniform jacket and tossed it into the shuttle, "or should I say, will be transplanted here, in the year 2486, as Xanadu and Alexandria were nearing completion. "It was an afterthought, almost, but with the Borg coming ever closer, many people cried out for a spiritual symbol to remind them of what it meant to be human. As Earth had already fallen by then, it was decided that the symbol should come from Earth's oldest colony. It was also decided, it would seem, that it needed to be a structure of worship. As the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions were the only major surviving sects by that time, it was decided to retrieve a symbol for each if possible. There is a Hebrew temple and an Islamic mosque elsewhere in the city. "The builders were able to actually dematerialize the structures, hold them in transporter suspension for two weeks while they evaded the Borg and returned to the construction facility, and finally rematerialize the structures at their assigned locations within Alexandria. The symbolism of having three major places of worship restored to them appears to have rallied the people of Xanadu for a brief time." As Tal was speaking, she had been leading the way through the great wooden doors at the front of St. John's. The two women had set their packs down, but only Oswald had begun pulling out equipment. When she heard Tal trail off, the young engineer looked over to see that her companion had not pulled out anything but a padd and stylus. Quizzically, Oswald wandered over to where Tal was staring off into space as if admiring the architecture of the cathedral. "I thought the whole reason we were here was to learn something big about Xanadu." A sly smile played across Tal's lips. "It is. And we will. Just be patient." "I thought we didn't know anything about Xanadu, really." Oswald fround. "So, how is it that you know so much about this place?" A soft rustling of the wind brought with it a slight humming sound. A voice seemed to focus on the two through the wind. "Why, Commander Oswald," the voice said in its lilting, almost-mocking tones, "I told her all about it, of course." Oswald cast a confused glance at Tal. "Hello, Alicia. It's good to hear your voice again. Would you like to talk for a bit?" "Of course, Commander Tal. It is a pleasure to have you back with us." Oswald bit her lip and muttered, "I've got a bad feeling about this." ========= Christian D. Clem '01, aka "Aggie" Cdr. Velorna Tal, Fleet Intelligence Officer Defenders Taskforce "Defiant" |