/||\        -----------------------------------------
       / || \            Starfleet Command, Second Fleet
      /  ||  \             U.S.S. Coronado,  NCC-63100
   .-/   ||   \-.        Captain Brian Aldur, Commanding
   ./    ||    \.   -----------------------------------------
   .-_-. || .-_-.              Simulation Teaser
   .-_  \||/  _-.

 ____________________________________________________________________________
/ Simulation Teaser                                                          |
/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

 Starbase 247, local time 4:30am...

 Brian Aldur read the PADD that had been delivered to him one last time,
 and sighed.  The contents were clear enough:

    To  : Commander Brian Aldur, Starbase 247
    From: Admiral Tom Harris, Commanding, Deep Space 12
    Date: Stardate 50679.5

    You are hereby requested, and required, to take command of
    starship U.S.S. Coronado (registry NCC-63100) as of this
    date with a field grade increase to Captain.  Operational
    orders have been attached for review.

    END TRANSMISSION.
    ATTACHMENTS

 The operational orders were written in the terse language favored by
 Starfleet Operations personnel, but boiled down to "track down the Romulan
 agents responsible for the capture of the Jaunt technology, and recover
 the drive."  Aldur picked up the stiff manila envelope that had come with
 the PADD and opened it.  Inside were paper copies of the ship's
 authorization codes, orders, a copy of the refitting report... and a small
 clear plastic envelope.

 Looking at the gold pip in the plastic envelope, Aldur sighed again.  "Not
 exactly the way I dreamed of getting my first command," he thought, as he
 freed the pip from the envelope, and crossed to the mirrored bureau to pin
 it in place.  No bo'swain piping him aboard, no transfer of command
 ceremony, no reception... just a damaged frigate with a desperate mission.
 With the chaos currently surrounding the Admiralty, Aldur doubted there
 would ever be time for ceremony.  In ninety days, the field promotion
 would become official, and that would be that.

 Aldur left the Starbase temporary quarters, and was soon standing in front
 of the observation port, looking over at the Coronado... his ship, now.
 Workbees and tugs moved frantically over the hull, trying to repair the
 damage that had been inflicted on it as the Romulans had captured the
 Jaunt drive test ship Coronado had been escorting.  Within, Lt. Commander
 Rakadinte was also busy, not only coordinating the repairs, but seeing to
 the installation of a second Jaunt prototype in the frigate's Engineering
 section.

 All the clues had been there... the day-old chronometric field
 variation... the ion trail leading away from it... they just hadn't
 interpreted the clues in time.  Now the Romulans had better than a two-day
 head start.  Time to catch up with them.

 Determined, Aldur took the turbolift down to the transfer corridor, and
 crossed to the Coronado.

\____________________________________________________________________________
\ End Simulation Teaser                                                      |
 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

----------
Ross Glenn aka Jester
Captain Brian Aldur, U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-63100
http://www.ussrenegade.com/coro2400/