~\\_               
          \\\\_             
          `\\\\\            -----------------------------------------
           |\\\\\           Starfleet Command, Eighth Fleet (OOC)    
            \\\\\|__.-~~\   
         _--~         ~~/   Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone"  
       /~         _-~~~'    Embarked on U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-97901   
      ('-//////-//          Rear Admiral Tebrun Lora Kor, Commanding 
       ////// }}-)          -----------------------------------------
     /////~                 Simulation Report                        
  _///~                     Stardate 240208.19                       
 `                          
 _______________________________________________________________________ 
/ Simulation Teaser                                                     |
/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 =/.= U.S.S. Coronado, under repair at M.R.F. Onyx, 0238 ship's time =/.=

 Savant rarely got a spare moment -- to be fair, the only spare
 moments she ever got were the ones she specifically cleared.  The
 casual interaction that people got was far from her usual
 attention -- she simply threw the holographic processors scripts
 and scanned the interpreter for the conversations going about. 
 Normally her attention was extremely divided... it was an impressive
 thing when it was collected all in one place, but such co-ordination
 required a great deal of effort.

 Such co-ordination had been arranged for the next short while. 
 Something had been weighing on the program's conscience and it was
 finally time to remove the burden.  So, she had allocated the task
 a good fifteen minutes, paused her other activities, and set about
 collecting the bits and pieces of her identity into one place.  As
 the registers moved from processor to processor, trailing their way
 home, she found her thoughts speeding and pulse quickening- closer
 to the ideal constant that she came so close to but never touched.

 With that done, the rest was simple.  Calling up a hologram at the
 corner of corridor 8A and 8F was easy enough with petty command
 lines to the local devices.  Doing so such that it was quiet, and
 fifteen seconds before Admiral Lora Kor turned that corner, was
 equally simple.  The hologram clasped its hands behind itself,
 assuming a realistic appearance, as the program waited.

 Twenty five hundred thousand cycles passed, more or less. 
 Preparatory cycles.  Chances to rehearse thoughts, or refine ideas. 
 To give voice to anxiety or hesitation.  All the things that Savant
 did every moment, but never gave hints of to the others.  They
 passed with aching slowness.  While distributed, she could do other
 things: chart, analyze, collate.  But with her attention so focused,
 it took forever.  That was probably why she did it so rarely.  When
 he had finally turned the corner and had begun making recognition
 signs, Savant set her script into action.

 "Good evening, Admiral.  You look like you have a bit of a headache
 there," she said.

 Lora Kor looked up, startled.  Savant noted that the Admiral had a
 PADD in his hand, which he had been tapping against his leg.  The
 Admiral made a noise that sounded like "hmph."  "I should have
 expected you to be up," he said.

 Savant almost smiled.  "Holograms require very little sleep," she
 said instead.

 The Admiral nodded, chuckling in a tired way.  He tossed Savant the
 PADD, who appeared to catch it -- actually, the data was fed by
 ansible directly into her memory core, and the PADD vanished in the
 blue quantum sparkle of the transporter, hidden behind the
 holographic matrix.  Savant added the image of a PADD to her matrix
 as an afterthought, and appeared to take the time to read and
 consider the data... although she already had.

 "You knew about the operative we have in the Hegemony," Lora Kor
 said.  Savant nodded.  "Well, now we know how the Hegemony caught
 on to our raid so fast," he said, indicating the PADD.

 "The jamming," Savant said.  Her voice was almost sympathetic.

 Lora Kor nodded, rubbing his temples, then sighing. "It was a
 stupid, rookie mistake.  As soon as one of their destroyers went off
 the air, they immediately scrambled those ships to investigate.  I
 should have expected it... prepared for it.  And I didn't," Lora Kor
 said. When he looked up, his face was stricken.  "I got a lot of
 people killed."

 Savant shook her head and while her manner was calm, her voice was
 firm.  "Admiral, you couldn't have anticipated this.  We're still
 unsure about the complete effect of jamming Pfhor Hegemony
 communications," she said.  "You shouldn't blame yourself."

 The Admiral wasn't buying it.  "Commander, it's my job to consider
 all possible implications... that's why I got this promotion, after
 all," he said, fingering the boxed pips at his collar.  "I'm
 supposed to be able to think strategically."

 The hologram almost chuckled.  "Unfortunately for you, Admiral, you
 were born a humanoid... you can hardly think of every possible
 implication of your decisions," she said.  "No battle plan survives
 first contact with the enemy," she quoted as an afterthought.
 Looking closely at the Admiral, Savant frowned. "Admiral, your
 headaches...?"

 Lora Kor smiled crookedly, but it was a pained smile.  "...are
 unavoidable at present, Commander.  A side effect of the Rite of
 Emergence," he said, pointing at his head.  "Timor Kor was a
 thoroughly... disagreeable person," he added, closing his eyes
 briefly, "but for the moment, I need his knowledge."

 "Despite what it's doing to you?" Savant asked.

 "We all have to make sacrifices if we're going to drive back the
 Pfhor, Commander."

 She nodded, agreeing.  He was right -- they all had to make
 sacrifices.  "Well, all right, Admiral," the avatar said.  She was
 still concerned though, and was tempted to prescribe him a sedative
 to get some rest.  "Just don't sacrifice so much that you lose what
 you're trying to save."

 Kor gave her a quizzical glance as she handed back the PADD, which
 shivered into being as it left her hands.  Savant continued
 oblivious to his expression, "You should still go get some sleep,
 however.  It's late, and there's a lot to do tomorrow.  There's some
 headache medication waiting for you in your cabin, that ought to
 help."  She sent a short script into the queue in his quarters, to
 replicate a particular entry in the database upon his return there.

 He grunted and rubbed the back of his neck, weariness starting to
 register in him after such a long time awake.  "I will in a little
 while. I have a few more things to consider first."

 The hologram nodded sagely; arguing was only good for so much.  "All
 right. Don't stay up too late... and please ask if you need any
 help.  You don't have to carry the whole galaxy on your shoulders. 
 Lora, you aren't Atlas."

 The Admiral nodded wearily and continued his journey around the
 corridor, and Savant "heard" the pop-pop-pop of the PADD against his
 leg.

 ================

 Special thanks to Savant for significant assistance with tonight's
 teaser!  :)  Full log credit to you for this one, Savant.  ;)

\_______________________________________________________________________ 
\ End Simulation Teaser                                                 |
 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone" Staff:
    Commanding, TG 85.3:       RADM Tebrun Lora Kor      (Jester)
    S-1, Group Adjutant:       LCdr. Sieven Drexler      (Brad)
    S-2, Group Intelligence:   LCdr. Kariasa Ma'Aru      (Kari)
    S-3, Group Logistics:      Cmdr. Savant              (Savant)

 U.S.S. Coronado Crew Roster:
    Commanding Officer:        Capt. William Daren       (Daren)
    Executive Officer:         Cmdr. Darek Smith         (Aggie)
    Marine Commandant:         Col. Jeremy Ironside      (Fraser)
    Raptors Squadron Leader:   Lt. Colonel Thomas Wayne  (Masters)
    Chief Tactical Officer:    Lt. Kyle Marcy            (Marcy)
    Flight Operations:         Lt. Caring-Thoughts       (Alffred)
    Chief Science Officer:     Lt. Kathleen Hammond      (Kath)
    Company Commander:         MCpt. Jacob Prescot       (Shadow-FjP)
    Flight Leader:             1Lt. Andrew Stylus        (JadeFalcon)
    Flight Leader:             2Lt. Mikhail Petkovic     (Archyyt)
    Chief Engineer:            Cmdr. Zunite Oswald       (Sonya)
    Assistant Engineer:        LCdr. Jack C. Farley      (CCC)
    Assistant Engineer:        Lt. Aramis Skylooker      (LewisSharp)
    Chief Medical Officer:     Lt. (JG) Jason Vogel      (Thompson)
    Civilian Liaison:          Alados ha-Soron           (McC)
    Civilian Liaison:          S'buuth                   (rev)

 On Extended Leave of Absence:

 Positions Available:
    Thinking about expanding the Science and Medical departments

------
Jester

Rear Admiral Tebrun Lora Kor
Commanding, Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone"
embarked on U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-97901
http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400/