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

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/ Simulation Teaser                                                          |
/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

 Captain Brian Aldur gazed through the forward observation port
 overlooking one of the broad bays inside Starbase 247, absently
 tapping a PADD against the transparent aluminum separating him from
 the vacuum of the bay.  Inside lay Coronado, stripped down almost
 to her tritanium/duranium skeleton in places -- especially aft and
 below Engineering, where it looked like an entire eighth of the
 saucer section had been cut away.

 Nearby, the entire Engineering section of a type 5 New Orleans
 class frigate was moored in the adjoining bay.  That was the
 repaired remains of the U.S.S. Thomas Paine.  Thanks to a Dominion
 battleship, THAT frigate had come home without her saucer section,
 Captain, XO, senior staff, and fully half of her crew.  Because the
 ranking officer had been a Lieutenant, the remainder of the ship's
 company had been reassigned, and the section's battle damage
 repaired.

 Now, the damaged Coronado and the damaged Thomas Paine would be
 joined.  Out of two damaged ships, one whole -- a new Coro.  It
 was almost ironic: Coronado was clearly going to benefit from her
 horrendous damage.  100 meters added to her length, 500,000 metric
 tonnes added to her mass, and virtually every system more powerful
 and efficient, from the retrofit twin warp core design to the
 added phaser and torpedo banks, to the added room and recreational
 facilities for her crew.

 Some of the Paine's crew had even signed on for the remainder of
 Coro's tour.  What was still missing was an XO...

 Aldur held the PADD, leaning against the port, so lost in thought
 he almost missed the approach of the commanding officer of the
 Second Fleet, Admiral H'lrnn.  The voder on the Horta Admiral's
 broad red-brown back converted the undulating waves moving along
 his body into speech.

 "Five weeks still, until she is ready, Brian," H'lrnn said.  The
 voder was only marginally capable of transmitting emotion, but
 the amusement in the Admiral's voice was plain.

 Aldur turned and smiled slightly.  "Hello, Admiral.  I know," he
 said.

 "Your crew, on leave.  You should join them," the Horta pressed.

 The Captain nodded.  "I will, but Gryphon is due in today, and I
 wanted to see some old friends."

 H'lrnn vibrated; Aldur recognized it as laughter.  "Protective,
 John is, of past shipmates," the Admiral joked.  Brian's smile
 broadened and he nodded.  H'lrnn quivered slightly, clearly
 indicating the PADD in Aldur's hand.  "Continues your search?"

 Aldur looked down that PADD, then nodded, turning it on.  "Major
 Grainge is on the Phantom these days, Commander Blaze is rotating
 back and forth between Starfleet Medical and the fleet Tactical
 Training Center, and La' Ka'Tek has been missing, presumed dead,
 for weeks.  I'm down to two XO candidates, both of whom are
 Missing in Action."  He turned off the PADD and tossed it on the
 shelf butting out from the observation port.

 H'lrnn's broad back twitched, the Horta equivalent of a nod.
 "Heavy, fleet casualties.  Trained personnel, difficult to find.
 Entire Academy Junior class, already pressed to service.  Your
 own senior staff, some may be contacted with opportunities."

 Aldur frowned and nodded.  "I know, and I'd be hard pressed to
 lose any of them."

 "Candidates, your last two, who are they?" the Admiral asked.

 The Captain glanced at the PADD, but didn't pick it up.  "Lt.
 Commander... excuse me, Lieutenant Anderson disappeared or went
 AWOL off Aurora several weeks ago.  Nobody has heard from her
 since.  And Major Damian Maxwell Cash..."  Aldur sighed and
 shook his head.  "I pulled in every contact I have, and nobody
 can say for sure where he is.  If you believe Starfleet personnel
 reports..."  Aldur snorted.  He didn't.  "...he's retired."

 "If you don't?"

 Aldur waved one hand toward the outside of the base, and nearby
 Cardassian space beyond.  "If you don't believe the reports, he
 was called in for a Starfleet Intelligence mission in Cardassian
 space... and he's still there, captured or dead."  Aldur then
 turned the PADD back on, and passed it to the Admiral after
 bringing up a very unusual subspace transmission he had received
 a few days after starting his inquiries into Major Cash's
 whereabouts...

\____________________________________________________________________________
\ End Simulation Teaser                                                      |
 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

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